Sword Of Damocles
by Aliet Faslami
Summary: It has finally happened. Someone, no one ever expected, has ratted out the Irkens on Earth. The government is closing in while they run for their lives. Co-written by 6 of your favorite FFN authors!
1. Introduction! Welcome to our minds of D...

Brought to you by the creative brainmeats of such individuals as Aliet Faslami (AF), Maniacal Dragon (Lynne), JusticeCave (JC), Invader Bast (Bast), Aubri, and Tabby: a story of action, adventure, suspense, angst, romance, humor, and... other things.

SWORD OF DAMOCLES

We don't have a spooky slogan... so... commence the author's note and disclaimer.

AF: A new, brand new fic! Only this time, it's not just by me. This fic is written by 6 people in fact! Each chapter from a different perspective of a character, and written by a different author/authoress. It is based on our RP/SI universe and the actual IZ show. *ahem!* Anyway... I own Jendai and Ivy. The IZ characters are owned by their great creator, and the other people belong to themselves. Thank you and enjoy!

Lynne: We're not gonna be chased with pitchforks over this are we..? I mean... for our lack of enlightening the audience with the backstory prior to how this all came to be, past the IZ world on the show...

JC: Where's my Damocles buddy? =D

Lynne: He's in Quebec, JC.

Aubri: At the moment, yes, but for some reason I'm appearing here anyway.

Tabby: Jhonen Vasquez owns all the Invader Zim characters.

AF: I said that, Tabby.

Tabby: Yeah... but you didn't say his name...

Bast: That's because we all know it.

Zim: ZIM belongs to NO ONE!!!

AF: How'd you get here, Zim?

Zim: o.o I.. er.. HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE PHANTOM!!

Dib: You know, Zim, I'm getting reeeaaally sick of you dropping nooses around my neck all the time.. when are you going to get off this kick?

Lynne: How does he get a noose past that big head to your neck? ¬.¬

Dib: I-- HEY!!

Zim: *cackles*

AF: Alright, mooshy, balloon-head, get out of here, both of you!! This is the author's note section!!

Dib: .; Gladly.

Zim: FINE! Uh.. Dib! Come over here and I shall drop a chandelier on your enormous head!! D

Tabby: You heard AF. ENOUGH!! Go away. Thank you. Now AF did we have anything else we wanted to say here?

AF: Um.. o.o I guess we really didn't, did we? Well, in that case... we will end the author's note right here.

Lynne: Wait wait... don't we need some dramatic fiddle music to start the story up with?

Zim: Did I hear someone call for the fid-ill master that is ZIIIIM!?

AF: No. Didn't we tell you to go away?

Lynne: Oh! Backstory! Read 'Oregon Trek of DOOM' which is me and Aliet's co-written project posted undermyprofileanditmightgiveagoodbackgroundtosomeofthecharactersandtheirrelationshipsWAAAAIT I'm not done yet!!

AF: Yes you are!! This author's note is too long already! .

Zim: May I play my FID-ILL now so that this filthy human audience will bow to MEEEE??

AF: No!

Jendai: Hey, AF, I can't find the whipped cream... and the plichinko machine in the fridge ate all my pickles...

AF: Gah! All of you, go away!! Author's note ending NOW! Please enjoy the story, for the final time!!

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	2. Zim Aliet Faslami

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 1  
Written by Aliet Faslami

-------- Zim --------

  
"GIR! Cease your pointless chatter and go annoy others elsewhere! Your MASTER has work to do!" I yelled. Seemed I yelled a lot these days. "AND you are NOT helping!"  
  
GIR landed on my head. It had been swinging from some pipe or other above me, squeaking out some vile human song about "lolee-pops". GIR's singing voice could shatter the finest-made Irken glass. Not to mention sensitive Irken antennae. "TACOOOOS!" the SIR squealed, clutching said appendages in its metal hands. I screamed, to say the least. No one touches a Soldier's antennae. They are the most sensitive part of an Irken. And when gripped by a hyperactive, insane robot named GIR... they are the most painful.  
  
From experience, I had learned the best way to dislodge GIR was to run until it fell off and ran to bother some other poor soul. I attempted this now. Unfortunately, GIR only clung tighter, which, in sort of a linked reaction, caused me to scream louder. My SIR merely laughed louder. How anyone can be humorous when screaming in agony and running to dislodge a SIR that has glued itself to one's head remains a mystery to me. The combined sounds of running, screaming, and laughter eventually attracts attention in any house or base, and thus was the case here. This commotion caused my first ally, the Student Irken by the name of Jendai Kaalae, to come try and aid me. I did not notice him, and thus ran into him.  
  
"Whoa!" Despite his height, my impact sent the Jendai crashing to the floor. The halo he was forced wear was jarred out of position and fell crookedly into his face. Although, it DID cause GIR to fly backwards off my head. The robot released my antennae at the same moment, laughing as it flew. "GIR..." the Jendai groaned, righting his halo with a grimace. "You all right, Zim?"  
  
I nodded, rising. "Are you?"   
  
He nodded as well, getting to his feet and brushing the non-existent dust from his clothing. Again, he adjusted the halo. I feel I must explain about the Jendai before you die of curiosity. Although, I must admit that WOULD be quite interesting to watch... but... Here I go, if I must. The Jendai, is dead. Well, I assume you knew THAT much. His body cannot die again, only go to the very brink, but never fall over the edge. It is a long and complex story, but, to put it simply, he is an angel. A very TALL angel... "You all right? No permanent damage?" he asked me, looking down from the height that matched my Tallests'.  
  
"None," I answered smartly, waving him off. "You may return to your business now. And you have my thanks for your concern."  
  
For a moment, he leaned in the doorway, just watching me get back to work. GIR came back to me, bouncing insanely. Laying eyes on my ally however, the SIR immediately ran to him, latching onto his leg. Patiently, he picked GIR up and took it out of the room so I could work. Thoughtful of him. Then again, when were Students not thoughtful? This thought kept me occupied away from work for a moment. Only the fact that I had so much to do brought me back from musing. Being an Invader was so strenuous sometimes. My antennae would be limp long before their time if I kept this rate up. Not to mention the perpetual annoyances of the DIB-creature.  
  
Blast it all. Why ME!? Of all the so-called, "aliens" on this planet, why did that stinking HUMAN have to pick me? I have done nothing-wait, no. Yes I have. But how is that an excuse to hound me at every turn and make pitiful attempts on my life? I fail to see the logic in this.

  
Just as I was about to put the finishing touches on my latest report, another aggravating persona happened to stick their head in to the room. Less annoying than GIR... but company was not what I currently desired. "Zim? Can I come in?" Well, at least she had the presence of mind to ask if her entrance was allowed.  
  
I turned to face her. "Ack, why not? The rest of this stinking planet comes when they please. Why should you be any different?" I snapped, folding my arms.  
  
"Aw, I'm hurt Zim. Really, you've wounded me deeply," came AF's equally sarcastic remark. She came in anyway, those huge boots-that the females who came around my base always seemed to be wearing-making hideously loud sounds against my floors. I winced. Blasted noise... "Problem?" she asked me, leaning against the wall with her arms folded in what humans considered a casual pose.  
  
"YES," I hissed back. "I wish to be merely left alone to finish my work, but everyone who I allow to live here refuses to honor that one wish!" Without thinking, I hit my fist against the console, causing the screen to flicker and fade to black. It caught my attention. "NONONONOOO!!" Turning to it, I, almost instinctually, started to rant at it. "You sniveling, UNGRATEFUL, piece of TRASH! How dare you delete the MIGHTY work of ZIM!? I will DESTROY YOOOU!!" By this time, I had jumped up in my chair to better rant, not realizing it of course. Glancing over at the AF, who was frantically trying to cover her slight laughter, I got down.   
  
"You needed something...?"  
  
She nodded, blushing. "We're playing truth or dare upstairs."  
  
Oh...  
  
Sweet...  
  
Mother...  
  
Of...  
  
IRK!!   
  
NO!! Not TRUTH OR DARE!! Anything but that! That... horrible, asinine, HUUman game that dares degrade ZIM at every chance it gets!! And with that... JC-CREATURE! The very BANE of my existence! The one who feels it is necessary for I, ZIM, to be "hugged!" and "kissed!" I loathe that game. Nevertheless, I always seem to be dragged into it every time both the JC-creature and the... Bast... cat... human... person come to the base!   
  
That is the trouble with allowing the AF to live here. She may very well be an ally of mine, but she has far too many of these "friends" for my liking. They always come here and make my mission next to impossible with their constant Truth or Dare games, or just general hunting me out.  
  
I met the AF after she ran into one of my amazing escapes from one of the Dib's traps. Despite what she says, she merely helped me escape, not "saved my little green ass", as she puts it. This happened a few times before I finally decided, with my amazing skills of... decision making, that this AF would make a valuable ally-in addition to the Jendai, who had returned to Earth in his angelform at this time-and made her one. Later, the humans who had been made her "adoptive parents" moved to a different place on the planet. The Jendai was given "guardianship" of the AF and thus she was "forced" to live with us.  
  
"I REFUSE TO PLAY THIS HIDEOUS GAME OF TORTURE!"   
  
The AF rolled her eyes at me. "Please Zim. JC just named you the Overlord Of All Dares," she told me, as if I were supposed to know this already. "We need you."  
  
That made me think. "Are you unable to play this game without the mighty Overlord?"   
  
"Yes. Without you, we are nothing." There was no attempt to hide the sarcasm in her voice. I knew what she was doing, and, quite honestly, did not mind it much. "So come on!" With that, she grabbed my arm and dragged me off.   
  
I wanted to kick and flail or something to get her to let go, but an Invader has too much pride for such things. Not to mention, someone might see me do it. I was already humiliated enough, being dragged around by a female who appeared human and was far shorter than any human I had seen so far. A member of the elite Invaders, the highest military position, dragged around by a member of an inferior species! Especially so great an Invader as I. So, I was forced to let her drag me up those stairs I had installed beside the refrigerator for the use of my "houseguests". Already I could hear the chatter of the females and the lower voices of the males who had been tricked into doing this. I recognized the voices of my Tallest Purple and the Jendai instantly. The females had always been more difficult for me to tell apart.   
  
"Who's going first--"   
  
"Lynne is!"   
  
"...Lynne's not here, JC."   
  
"Oh."   
  
"She's right though... usually we trick Lynne into going first."   
  
"You do not trick her into anything, Purple!"   
  
"I didn't mean me! I meant JC tricks her! Blast it Dai, what kind of Irken do you think I am?"  
  
We entered then, just in time to see the were-cat Bast elbow the Jendai, looking either sly, or annoyed... and knowing her it was a mixture of the two. "You're sticking up for Lynne an awful lot tonight, Dai-koi..." she said, twitching her cat ears. Personally, I did not understand why the Jendai was "in love" with her. She was frightening to me, with cat ears, tail and even whiskers. I had seen her become more like a cat than a human before... and combined with her temper, was someone I felt it best to leave be.   
  
The entire group was spread about the main room in the upper base, as was their usual fashion. On the couch were seated the Bast and the Jendai, their arms wrapped around one another-disgustingly, I might add. It was as if they wanted to announce to the entire planet that they would be marrying one another. The JC-creature had dragged the chair up to face them, moving it from its usual corner of the room. She was sprawled in it, getting her dirty feet everywhere. Among those in the room, she was the only human, and, in my view, the most annoying of us all. She was the one who always insisted on hugging everyone and considered herself the "Dare Queen" until I topped her pathetic human dares with ease. Leaning on his hands across from the couch was my Tallest Purple.   
  
Another odd story there... My Tallest, both of them, are stranded here on Earth until the rest of the Armada discovers their whereabouts. I am not quite sure exactly how they landed here. All I know is that they are here for a time, along with the small one Tallest Purple has taken as his student and Tallest Red has taken as his trainee. Until they left, I had to be on my best behavior, and do my best to ensure that those around their tallness are as well. Unfortunately, the pack of females the AF calls friends is not as respectful as I. It can be downright annoying.  
  
I was dropped down beside my Tallest, most degradingly, by the AF, who had the audacity to sit on his other side. Folding my arms, I glared out at the world.   
  
"Hey, she's not here, if I don't defend her, who will?" the Jendai said flatly, folding his arms. "Plus she's my friend."  
  
The Bast-cat hugged him as if to make up for her previous statement. He turned his head to kiss her gently. The other two females cooed while Tallest Purple smirked. It made me sick. To avoid my gag reflex, I merely averted my eyes. It seemed like an hour before their disgusting gesture of affection broke. Broke with a soft smacking sound, I might add. Sickening. Truly sickening. Nothing happened for a few moments, so I took it as a good opportunity to leave discreetly.   
  
"Where do you think you're going, Zim?"   
  
I froze. My Tallest had noticed my somewhat hasty retreat. I felt my antennae droop. "Get back here. I'm not going to suffer through this game outnumbered," he said gruffly. I could almost picture his pose of folded arms, head tipped slightly to one side, and the slight lid to his eyes that told the world he was amusedly annoyed.   
  
"Yes, my Tallest..." I muttered, flattening my antennae respectfully. Almost dejectedly, I sat back down, in a mood some would dare to call, "pouty". "My deepest apologies for attempting to leave you at the hands of an inferior species..."  
  
It had always bothered me that all these... humans and human-like females knew my true identity and my mission... but my Tallest and the Jendai did not seem to mind any. I could not protest when their minds had been made up. GIR absolutely loved the attention they showered it with.  
  
The Bast growled at my comment. "We're inferior are we...?" she hissed. I could see her claws appearing at the tips of her fingers in response to her anger.  
  
"Bast..." The Jendai's tone was placating, something I was quite thankful for. He was holding her tighter. "No kill the Zim, okay?"  
  
"Pft. Okay, okay, fine. Let's just play already."  
  
"ME FIRST!"   
  
We all cringed. The JC was standing up in the chair, waving her arms around as if we could not see her. Having decided she had no contest for the first position, the JC began her... "difficult" task of selecting her first victim. I knew who it would be, and what her "amazing" dare would be.  
  
"I piiiiick... Zim!" She was still standing, and struck a triumphant pose as she decided. I cringed. "ZIM!" the JC announced again. One finger pointed straight for me. She gave the corrective lenses she wore a shove, pushing them back to their place on the bridge of her nose, then announced-as if we did not know what was coming next... "Truth or Dare?"  
  
I groaned. Either way I chose, the JC would find SOME way to involve Lyn. Why did they all have to assume things they knew nothing about!? I did NOT "love" Lyn, as they thought. She was merely an ally! A single point of sanity on this planet of lunatics. That was most likely because, like the AF and the Bast, she was not human. Something called a "drag-on" to be exact, one with a way of manipulating energy patterns of this plane to her own uses. The truth behind just who she truly is... that is something better explained by Lyn herself. And just because I cared slightly more about her welfare and such than I did my other allies did not mean I "loved" her. Invaders do not love. "I do not wish to be subject to one of your INFERIOR huuuman dares this night, JC-BEAST. Give me a truth before I leave this idiocy," I snapped, folding my arms.  
  
The JC stared at me for a moment, confused. I almost always picked "dare" in her memory. Smirking, I unfolded my arms, leaning back smugly. I had defeated her. "Hurry up and think of a truth for ZIM, JC-beast," I laughed. "Otherwise I have a SIR that requires its evening walk."  
  
We all waited, the Jendai and the Bast leaning into each other, seeming unable to be apart for more than five seconds. Eventually, the AF leaned on my Tallest as well, looking somewhat sleepy. I was more than shocked to see how easily Tallest Purple allowed this contact-he didn't even seem to notice, in fact. That was another thing that made me uneasy. My Tallest didn't seem to mind the adoration of the female humans and other females of varying races. Although, a lot of females hated the attention of Tallest Red. Why, I am not sure. Upon asking Lyn about it one day, she told me this, "Red's a pervert who only cares about himself. We all hate him. Hand me the hot chocolate mix?" Her words exactly. She also said she could stand Tallest Purple because he was "more of a gentleman" than Tallest Red. This I passed off as non-Irken misunderstanding and ignored it henceforth. Now, bored with waiting for the JC, I studied both the Jendai and my Tallest Purple. They seemed perfectly content with the Bast and the AF almost hanging on them. I fear I will never understand the "emotions" of the Student Class.   
  
Finally, the JC thought of something. "Your truth, Zim," she said, an evil smirk playing over her face. "is to tell all of us exactly how you feel about Lynne!"  
  
I stared. Confound her! Must she constantly torture me about non-existent things at every turn!? As I have already stated, I do not love Lyn! Merely care. There is a vast difference between the emotion "love" which I am forbidden by training, and the act of caring, which I am not forbidden. My eyes brightened. I had decided on a solution to this truth debacle. "I," I began, slowly, building up dramatically as was Invader fashion. "I... CARE about Lyn!"  
  
My timing could not have been worse.  
  
Why must both fate AND the JC torment me at once? What have I done to either of them? Why, at the very moment I announced my truth in my most dramatic of voices, did Lyn herself have to enter my base?   
  
She stared at me, confused for a long moment, then smiled slightly. I felt myself blush. Blasted face! You will be doomed later! Lyn knelt beside me and I felt myself instinctually move away from her. I had a suspicion of her intentions. In this large of a group, such intentions were not a welcomed thing. To my surprise, she merely extended a finger and poked me. "Squeaky," was all she said as she did so.  
  
I squeaked.  
  
An innate Irken reaction to a poke in the squeedily-spooch area. Why this happens, I do not know. All I know is, that it happens, and that these females find it highly humorous to hear me squeak.   
  
They laughed now, the Jendai attempting to hide his mirth while my Tallest did not. I found myself blushing in humiliation. To avoid more of the same, I got to my feet. I ignored the pleas to stay and called for GIR. The SIR fell out of the ceiling, as usual, already dressed in its disguise. How it managed that I shall forever wonder. "Aw, Zim..." I heard behind me as I put my disguise on. I believed it was Lyn speaking, although, once again, I find feminine voices hard to distinguish. "Please stay?"  
  
"No," I snapped. I didn't turn to face whoever it was speaking. GIR was bouncing up and down, making it harder for me to attach its leash to the collar its disguise wore. "GIR BE STILL!" My SIR froze mid-jump. "I refuse to be a part of this idiocy any longer. Go, play your games of daring and truth-telling and I shall be walking my SIR."  
  
"Let him go JC," the Jendai said. "We're bugging him."  
  
"Oh really?" Great, sarcasm from the JC-creature. Just what I wanted to hear.  
  
"Yeah, you can tell because he's strutting more." That comment from the AF. I made a mental note to ignore her for the rest of the week.   
  
"I thought that was how he always walked..." Lyn said this.  
  
"Nah, that's only when we really annoy him."   
  
By that time, I was halfway out the door, GIR in front of me. A few more of the AF's friends were arriving as I left. I had indeed picked a choice time to leave. One was male, and the other female. Aubri, I believed the male's name was. I was not sure about the female... All I knew was that she "cared about" Tallest Red more than any female here. I felt their eyes follow me out the door. Fortunately, they said not a word.  
  
"Zim!"  
  
I stopped, turning around and saluting smartly. Tallest Purple had gotten up from the floor, moving to loom over me from behind. "Yes Sir?" I did not notice GIR, who was attempting to eat one of the attack gnomes' hats.  
  
"If you're going to leave, take Ivy over to that human's house," he ordered. "If we're playing this game, someone-probably me-is liable to get hurt. I don't want her around that." Someone snickered at this, causing the Tallest to glare at those behind him.  
  
"Yes Sir!" I answered. "I will!"  
  
He looked down at me as if he had expected a different answer from me. Then, he shrugged and turned back into the house to call his student. The little green eye came running, as if she had been awaiting this call. She was already wearing the floppy hat she used as her disguise. It covered her curled antennae and managed to hide her eyes at the same time. Being as young as she was, she oft times found it hard to stop, even when on a direct collision course with an Irken Invader. I pretended not to hear the laughs as Ivy rammed into me, sending us both tumbling over the front step and out into the yard. The child was laughing too, obviously unhurt by her fall, although her mirth went unheard by Tallest Purple.   
  
"Ivy!" he cried, bending down to pick her up protectively. She laughed loudly at him, wrapping small arms around his equally small neck. "Are you all right?"  
  
Another light, tinkling laugh from the child. "I'm 'kay!" she said, her voice had the slur of childhood to it, as she was only four Irken years old. "You worries too much!" Did I mention her poor grammar? Well, Student youngsters cannot help their imperfections. I am not clear on the details surrounding little Ivy's appearance. I merely know that she is of the Student Class, and appeared one day in my Tallests' private quarters without any knowledge of her Hatchery. Tallest Purple, being Student, took her as his to teach, and Tallest Red... well, I am not sure about him.   
  
Tallest Purple set the child down next to me. It humiliated me further that, although I was far older than she, she was the taller of us. This irony was never lost on the group watching us from the main room of my base, and thus I took Ivy away quickly, trying to avoid ridicule. "Zim, bring her home after your walk!" I heard my Tallest call after me. "And Ivy! Don't give away too many secrets this time!"  
  
Beside me, walking in the twilight, Ivy muttered something to herself. "Excuse me, my Smallest?" I asked politely. She actually preferred being called "Smallest" to "Taller" even though the latter was far more respectful than the former. "Did you say something?"  
  
"Uh huh," she mumbled, kicking a pebble out of her path. "Pur dun like it how I's always tellin' you an Dib stuffs."  
  
Dib. Blast him. Blast him to steaming bits. Why he became friendly towards my Smallest, and why she returned those feelings, I will never know. He had to be plotting to turn her in to his government or something, but why he hadn't yet was something I could not decipher. I usually just summed it up to the awesome fear of what the Tallest and I would do to him if he did so. Yes, he feared me so. Being feared was delicious. Invaders reveled in this feeling of knowing your enemies feared you so very much. "You tell me things, my Smallest," I said to her. "And the Tallest do not seem to mind that."  
  
She bit her lower lip, a habit adopted from Tallest Purple. "I just... I dun like knowing all dis stuff Zimmy," Ivy said softly. "It's scary..."  
  
"Yes, you have told me before." I patted her shoulder in comfort.  
  
Ivy, is strange. She is, what Lyn and the AF call, an Empath. Meaning, she can sense the emotions of others, and thus know what their thoughts are. More than often she is accurate. And more than often, she hates it. Because, along with this gift, she also has been-in her opinion-cursed with the knowledge of some things that can happen in the future. She is odd, as previously stated. It is the fault of this gift and this curse that she acts so childishly most of the time. All we can do is comfort her and hope that this is only a phase.  
  
"You dun have any idea," she responded, but did not move my hand, only concentrate on GIR. When my SIR tried to eat one of those red water shooter... things, she laughed merrily, her previous mood forgotten. "GIR so silly!"  
  
We walked on, silent, save for GIR. I was quite honestly dreading the meeting of my enemy. Even if it was only to deliver my Smallest. I kept envisioning him leaping out of bushes to destroy both of us and rip GIR to metallic pieces. But he would never do such. He feared me too much. The Earth's sun was gone, twilight turning to dark as streetlights came on. At times like these, I could not help missing Irk somewhat. Earth's night was so... dark... with its singular moon and tiny stars. On Irk, the three moons kept the night bright and... safe, I suppose it felt. In the dark, I felt myself walk a tad faster; my Smallest's boot taps keeping an even rhythm with mine. GIR was far ahead of us. Glancing up, I could have sworn I saw an Irken ship high above. I rubbed my eyes. This dirt rock of a planet was affecting my brain.   
  
But still...   
  
The "sight" of an "Irken ship" brought up memories of unpleasantness. Tak. Yes, you heard me. Tak. That insane female who insists I, ZIM, wronged her many years ago. I believe she is dead now... but one can never be sure of such things. There is a saying among Soldiers. "An Irken's never truly dead until you see the body and rip the backpod off it." A disgusting saying, but a true saying nonetheless. It always made me wonder if one day that Tak would come back to make my mission miserable once again. Although I doubted I would not be able to handle her. Considering how easily she was defeated last time.  
  
My Smallest gave my arm a gentle tug. I looked up at her, shaken from the horrid thought of Tak. "You 'most went past, Zimmy," she said, smiling at me.  
  
I saw it, the disgusting lair of DIB, now, towering above us both. Forcing down my innate revulsion, I led my Smallest up to the front door, dragging GIR with me. I would have rung the bell, if my loathing of this place's filth did not dissuade me from doing so. GIR saved me the trouble of battling with my amazing will. It ran into the door. "TAQUITOS!" it screamed happily, causing my Smallest to giggle brightly.  
  
"Is it possible for you to even go on a simple walk without doing something completely insane!?" I demanded, yanking on the SIR's leash.   
  
GIR got to its feet, tipping its head at me. "I dunnooo!" was all the answer I received.   
  
Before I could further rant at it, the Dib's door opened. My nemesis stared out at us, suspicious, as always, of our un-preceded presence. His suspicion turned to surprise when GIR jumped on his head. I watched, not keeping my mirth from escaping. The DIB didn't run, screaming, as I had hoped, merely stood there attempting to pry GIR off. A method I knew would never work. It took my Smallest's help to get GIR off and back on the ground where it belonged. "Thanks Ivy," the human growled, glaring at me as if I had thrown GIR on his enormous head myself.  
  
"Welcome," my Smallest said with a little smile. She stepped up to the Dib, hugging him. I shuddered in disgust. The only satisfaction of bringing my Smallest to the filthy human's house was seeing how much taller she was than him. "GIR likes your head, Dib-tam."  
  
"Um, yeah... I noticed..." he muttered, hugging her back and glaring at me over her shoulder. "Hello, Zimm..."  
  
My eye twitched. "Hello, DI-buh," was all I could force myself to say. O, how he revolted me! How my Smallest could stand to even be within inches of him was something I failed to understand. And his head...! It was so large I found it hard to believe he did not fall over from being top-heavy! Now, that would have been humorous! Much more so than I, the most amazing of Irken Invaders, squeaking like one of GIR's piggies.  
  
"What are you doing here Zim? Finally give up?"  
  
"Hah! You wish for a thing that will never come."  
  
My Smallest winced at this, tightening her hold on the human. He noticed and glared at me. I merely twitched the corners of my mouth, smirking. "You can go now Zim, you've run your little errand," he snapped, taking my Smallest inside.  
  
"Thanks Zimmy..." I heard her say before the door was slammed. I grinned. Being feared was truly a good thing. GIR began to drag me off again, nearly wrenching the leash from my hand. I was dragged down the cement a few blocks, yelling at the top of my lungs for GIR to stop, before I was able to regain my footing and return to my normal march.  
  
I scanned the sky again. Something was making me wary this night. Something I could not put a claw on. I hoped it was nothing that would threaten the mission. Yes. My mission was all that mattered. But... But if that were true, why did the thought of something threatening my mission feel so... superficial? I shrugged this off. Walking GIR was not a time for such thoughts. Turning my attention to the robot, I continued down the street, marching proudly the entire way.  
  
  
  
-------- Tak --------  
  
  
He had no idea I was watching... not a clue in the slightest. That was precisely the way I wanted things. The insolent male would have no idea of my... shall we say, "not-demise." Which was good. He wouldn't have the faintest idea where this attack had come from. All the better.  
  
Mimi stood attentively to my right, awaiting any order I might give it. I drummed idle fingers. It had taken too long to repair my ship. Time I could have spent working on this plan, which, may I add, was far better than my original one. "Soon, Mimi," I smirked. "Soon ZIM will pay for his humiliating me."  
  
The slightly modified SIR only looked at me, as it usually did. I ignored the brief glance. This plan was so utterly perfect... nothing could go wrong with it. I wished I was able to contact the Tallest and tell them how perfect this NEW plan was. Though they hadn't had much idea who I was last time, they would certainly be pleased once I told them Zim would soon never trouble any Irken again. That is, if they could be found. They had been missing from the Armada for a great deal of time, requiring the appointing of a temporary Tallest in their absence.  
  
Using the influence the human I had made my "father" had, I was going to do something I should have done long ago. No other human would believe the ranting of a mere larva. This I had discovered from that idiotic Dib-stink. The entire reason of my supposed infatuation was to learn this. I would use the influence to bring word to the human government of Zim's true race, complete with infallible evidence, and thus he would be destroyed. It would be easy to claim his mission after that... So easy...  
  
Unconsciously, I laughed. I laughed long and triumphantly.  
  
"You will pay Zim..." I murmured, once I had calmed. "You will pay in ways you never dreamed possible. Because... the way this plan works, you disgusting midget, is that it hurts you and all you care for in more ways than you know..."  
  
Yes, this was my plan. And this was my duty to my race. I would carry it out, even if it killed me.  
  



	3. Dib Maniacal Dragon

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 2  
Written by Maniacal Dragon (Lynne Stephenson)

-------- Dib --------  


Stupid alien. Stupid, arrogant, nasty alien. I shut the door roughly against the night and leaned against it with a sigh. For a moment, utter silence filled the room, broken only by the beeps and taps of my sister's GameSlave. She was seated on the couch, leaning back against the cushions, oblivious to everything but her game.

Where was Ivy? I looked around, and spied her going into the kitchen. Well, I _had been busy with my electromagnetic sensors up on the roof, but I could spend time with Ivy until Zim came back to get her. I would never begrudge her that I felt bad for her, having to live with that power-mongering jerk, as well as the tall leaders, at least one of which seemed to do nothing but fight and hurt the poor kid with bad feelings_

I called, heading after her. I stopped in the doorway. She was half in, half out of the cupboard, maybe just exploring or actually, she was probably looking for the cereal box she'd left last time there, she'd found it. One gloved hand dug eagerly into the depths of the box, spilling Cocofang Cereal everywhere but not unearthing what she was looking for—the prize'. I remembered doing that when I was very little but being forced to eat all the cereal I'd dumped into my bowl trying to reach it had quickly made the novelty wear out.

I grabbed a sweeping brush and pan from another cupboard and hurried to clean up the mess Ivy was leaving. If Gaz came in here for soda and there was cereal crunching under her feet, I would be the one to pay for it.

A new wave of chocolate cereal poured from the box onto the floor as Ivy somehow managed to get her head in there along with both hands. I might have been annoyed if it hadn't looked so cute. I resignedly set myself to sweeping up the cereal while my young pal searched.

I's found it! Her triumphant cry made me look up, and I saw her, holding up a plastic spaceship, one hand still in the box, and her gloves, face, dress, and antennae covered in the cereal. I laughed. She smiled happily, and a moment later noticed the huge mess she'd left, and me in the process of cleaning it up.

I's sorry Dibby, she said sincerely, green eyes widening. Your sister dun like messes

I agreed. I paused in my sweeping to look her over. You're covered in chocolate cereal here I got up and went over to help her brush herself off. We pulled them off of her dress and wiped them from her face, but she flattened her antennae when I reached for the ones there.

No touchy, she murmured, looking nervous. That was another intriguing thing about Irkens their antennae. I'd learned a lot about how they showed moods and sensed things just by being around Ivy, but I'd never had occasion to touch the things. From what I could tell they were extremely sensitive; not something to mess with. So I had no compunctions about leaving them alone.

I said. I'll let you keep those. She smiled and proceeded to remove them herself, carefully. Then, forgetting her plastic spaceship on the floor, she wandered back out to the living room and up the stairs towards my room. I remained to sweep up the last bits of Cocofang cereal and throw them away, then gaze regretfully at the severely diminished cereal. Gaz was going to be mad oh well, I'd go out tomorrow and buy some more. I left Ivy's prize on the counter and ran up the stairs after her.

I called. She was already at the door to my room, but she turned around when she heard me call her.

She always called me that. It was not a nickname I really _liked, but I didn't mind it. At least I had a name to __someone_

I gave her a smile and stepped past her to push open the door to my room. She followed me in, looking around with large, curious green eyes. She'd seen my room dozens of times before, but the glow-in-the-dark posters, pictures of various paranormal phenomena, and my array of field equipment never failed to capture her attention.

Didn't you used ta have pictures of Zimmy up there? she asked, pointing to the space above my desk now occupied by a starfield chart.

In his disguise, I said regretfully. They've been relegated to the closet. The real stuff—that's over here. I walked over to the wall across my bed. Behind this wall was where I kept everything _important a glance behind me, however, told me that Ivy's attention had been distracted by something else._

You gots a new issue! she said, picking up the latest special edition of my _Crazy Spooky magazine from the bed._

Oh! Yeah! I turned around to face her. They've got a great article in there on the kelpies. And someone had a yeti sighting in Siberia somewhere and look.. I walked over, took the magazine from her and flipped through it, then pointed to where a photograph of brightly glowing lights in the night sky covered nearly a whole page.

Ivy giggled. Dat's swamp gas! she said brightly. Aren't all bright glowing lights I thought to myself regretfully.

I was thinking it might be St. Elmo's fire, I said, turning a couple more pages. It was another moment before I realized Ivy wasn't saying anything. I turned around to see her standing rigidly, eyes blank and distant. Her antennae were perked almost straight up, and one gloved hand clenched into a fist.

Ivy? What's the matter?? I didn't get an answer. I hated it when she got like this it had only happened a couple of times, and something different happened every time. I stood there uncertainly with the magazine in my hands, watching wide-eyed. I didn't have very long to wait. She went limp, and her eyes rolled shut, before she sank to her knees and I dove to catch her.

Irkens are a pretty skinny race, which was a good thing because I wasn't all that strong. It scared me how limp she was as I tried to keep her in a sitting position. It didn't help that she was taller than me holding her up was a bit awkward.

At the sound of her name her eyelids fluttered. she murmured.

She was shivering slightly. I had to stretch to reach the blanket on my bed, but I managed to do it without letting her fall. I tugged the blanket around her, bracing her against the side of the bed so she had something solid to lean on. She kept leaning on me though. Not that I minded, though I generally preferred not to be pinned down

I saw things she murmured, as she leaned her head on my shoulder, her frail body curling up. She might be taller than me, but she was still nearly a baby! I hugged her comfortingly. I could remember, vaguely, hugging Gaz like this when we were very young no older than Ivy was now, certainly. When our mother died I pushed the thought from my mind. Ivy was what was important now, not that.

What did you see? I asked her. She was slow in replying. Her mouth moved faintly, and her eyes remained closed. When she did speak, her voice was a startlingly clear monotone.

Everyone is running and.. there's.. dark humans everywhere they chase us, and they don't ever fall behind. They might even be getting closer Her brow furrowed in concentration, her eyes screwing tightly shut. A.. a.. he Damocles

I was confused. That guy with the sword over his head?

Her eyes opened now, and they weren't blank anymore, but just gazed across the room. I's guess so she said, almost thoughtfully.

That's an old Greek story I said. why's it in your your vision?

The direction of her gaze did not change. Tell me the story.

I struggled to remember the story it had been a while since I'd read old myths. Some kind of analogy about the luxury of being a powerful leader but also the danger.

Well, this man named Damocles got invited over by a king for a day. The king gave him all kinds of rich food, along with music and wine and robes and everything Damocles wanted. But, there was a sword suspended above his head by a horsehair the entire time

So's he couldn't be happy.. Ivy murmured, her eyes drifting shut again.

I nodded. he was nervous, and panicky, because that sword could drop at any moment!! He couldn't enjoy all those.. those things I paused as she curled closer to me, shivering again. Without much thought I tucked the blanket closer around her.

Dun make sense, she said quietly. She was right about that.. it _didn't make sense why was she having visions about some old story that was probably a myth, besides? Where did she __get her precognitive powers? That had always fascinated me about her from the moment I first learned about her in my—I admit—obsessive note-taking and observation of Zim. I knew exactly when she and the two leaders arrived. I'd always assumed they were all like Zim and didn't treat them any differently Ivy would have definitely been a useful tool to me, but I couldn't look at her like that. Not anymore._

She spoke again. Who're all those people she said softly.

I.. don't know.

She almost sounded sleepy, now.

FBI? She meant the government, most likely if it _were them I felt an icy knot form inside my stomach. Sure, I wanted to see Zim exposed, see his ugly arrogant face melt in defeat for once, but neither did I want all my hard work to go to waste. And neither did I want anything to happen to Ivy. She lived with Zim, and if anyone went after him she'd be caught along in the entire mess. I hugged the little Irken closer. She was more than just my link to the stars, which I'd always wanted to fly out and see she was a friend. She didn't care that everyone thought I was crazy. She didn't say my head was big. She didn't hold against me the things I'd done to her before before she was anything more than another Zim. She didn't get upset if I got too excited about one of my paranormal studies and talked constantly about things I knew she didn't understand. She even made fun of Zim with me sometimes_

she murmured again.

I hope not I said, my nervousness pretty apparent in my shaky tone.

She was still sleepy I guessed she didn't understand exactly what the government would _do to her and the other aliens if they found them. How to explain that to a little kid you just didn't. But Ivy was different_

humans don't like things that are strange to them. They ignore them, or try to get rid of them. That's why paranormal investigators are so important to have around we prove their existence, we disprove the frauds, and we show people that there's nothing to be afraid of! Or if there is, we show them how they can deal with it!

She didn't seem to be paying attention to my little speech. She was gazing into the distance again, as if with some sudden thought. The dark humans she murmured.

I kept my hold on her, just in case. this is the future you're seeing? I asked warily. I had no idea how accurate or changeable her visions were, but in my limited experience with them I had never seen them be wrong. She merely sighed, curling up closer to me like a cat that's found a ray of sunshine on the floor.

Hope not she murmured.

Me too I agreed numbly. She opened an eye at that. A green eye which studied me curiously. I'd always been fascinated by Irken eyes they were shiny and cloudy at the same time, and from what I had seen they also glowed in the dark. Perhaps they used a crystalline rod structure with light emitters to trigger the optics or, maybe they were just synthetic. I hadn't made a close study of Irken eyes no, they couldn't be synthetic, not if they reacted that way to—

Ivy asked me, I guess in response to my statement. Zimmy's bein chased

I had to grin a bit at that. Well, that's something I _would_ like to see except I don't want to see it happen to _you_, and if it happens to him they'd probably find the rest of you.

She studied me for a long moment, then unexpectedly buried her face in my shoulder and hugged me. You care she murmured.

I was a bit flustered. well of course I care, I said. You're like a little sister to me.

'Bout Angel..? she said, her voice still muffled by my coat. And Reddy, and Purry..?

Angel? Oh, Jendai. The mechanic. He was nice enough another of the aliens I'd assumed to be just like Zim. But despite my attempts at using him various times as bait and as a lab test subject, he'd always been decent to me. Even after helping to destroy my carefully gathered research on Zim he'd wanted to talk to me and find out if I was alright. Upon learning that he wasn't on Earth to cause any harm, I'd left him alone, even tried to help him out sometimes. The two tall leaders though, Red and Purple I heard them called they didn't seem to be much better than Zim. Especially Red.

I wouldn't want to see them get _Jendai, I agreed to Ivy's question. I kept my mouth shut about the other two, in what I considered quite a wise move. Those two were her teachers of sorts, and she loved them._

Pur's nice, she murmured sleepily, as if aware of my thoughts which she probably was, now that I thought about it. I nodded absently. She turned her head slightly against my shoulder and sighed. Worn out, probably

Are you tired? I asked. Want to sleep on the bed?

was her response, her face still buried in my coat. 

I was confused. Maybe she really _was out of it I got up carefully, tugging her with me to a standing position._

Coat.. taco-y she insisted blearily, swaying sleepily on her feet. My coat? Smelling like tacos?? Oh. Me and Gaz had ordered out from Taco Smell across town for dinner, and I'd learned the hard way that critical comments about Gaz's favorite nature show ended up in my being pelted violently with Mexican food. Although I still honestly didn't see who would watch a nature show that showed nothing but the blood and violence of the ecosystem well, except for Gaz I really did not understand her at all

Of course, I didn't understand _this kid, either, but she was much more approachable. I sat her down on the bed now, hoping maybe she could sleep off her vision until Zim came back to get her. And maybe I could get a little more work done in the electromagnetic field I started to slide off the bed, only to find she'd latched onto me and wasn't letting go._

she mumbled. Geh I had to clean my coat. The paranormal studies could wait a few mintues while I threw it in the washer if Ivy ever let me go, anyway.

M'scared, Dibby, she said. Dunno what's gonna happen s'all blurry

I know, I said with a sigh, giving her another hug. But don't worry! My dad has lots of connections, I'm sure he'd be able to contact the right people to keep you safe if something _did happen. Although I wish he'd stop calling me insane_

I flinched automatically hearing the voice and removed my headphones, walking over to the edge of the roof. Zim stood there, glaring all around himself superiorly as his stupid robot dressed in a vaguely puppy-like costume tugged happily at the leash, jumping up and down, hitting the doorbell repeatedly.

Gaz would get severely annoyed before too much more of that and while I was tempted to let her answer the door and vent her wrath on that evil alien, I knew she'd probably come for me, afterwards, as if it were all my fault. It was, after all, unofficially my exclusive occupation to act as door-answerer with a resigned sigh, I leapt from the roof, grabbing hold of the drainpipe and sliding down to drop through the kitchen window into the sink.

Just my luck, it was full of water. I landed, my boots skidding against the edges of the sink before I lost my balance and fell in with a splash. Geez, it was cold it'd been sitting here for a while, obviously. Well, so much for bothering to put my coat in the washer this would've done the job just as well. I clambered from the sink and ran to the front door, my feet pounding to the chorus of DING-DONGs' from the doorbell, which had never once ceased. I threw Gaz a nervous glance, and indeed the corner of her eye was beginning to twitch dangerously. I pulled the door open quickly, fixing the figure behind it with an angry glare.

Where is the Empath, DIB-uh?? Zim sneered, yanking back on his robot's leash to get it away from the door. I expect you have not done something so foolish as to perform odd-topp-zees on my Tallests' young one?? He leered at me, as if waiting for such an excuse to finish me off in spectacular, lasery doom with the support of his leaders.

Of course not, you imbecile, I snapped, and turned to call for Ivy. I neededn't have bothered, she was already on her way down the stairs, still looking sleepy. She knew, that's right. She knew things, even simple things like when someone had come to pick her up.

You DAAAAAAARE insult an Invader!! Zim was saying now, jabbing a gloved claw at me, his expression furious. YOU DAAA—

Le's go home, Zimmy, Ivy said, her voice slurred by her lack of energy. 

Zim took a moment to compose himself, still glaring angrily at me. Of course, my Smallest, he said, his tone mincingly polite, although I'm sure his viciousness was entirely directed at me.

GIMME A POPSICLE!! The robot suddenly screamed, waving its costumed arms spastically. This right before it made a leap for my head. Predicting, this, however, I ducked, and the green dog-like thing flew over me, crashing into the table behind the couch and knocking over the lamp of my dad.

By this point, Gaz had had enough. she snarled. Be QUIET!

I said in disbelief. I pointed wordlessly to the green dog, which was delightedly chewing on the lamp's cord.

Zim screamed indignantly. Come to your Master!!

Come have a popsicle with MEEEEE!! it shrieked in reply.

Ivy called. We's gotta go home! You can see moosey!

The robot smiled, its tongue sticking out. it squealed, and immediately got up, trotting over to the two Irkens at the door. Zim snatched up its leash, looking furious, and then marched off, with that odd, haughty strut that usually caused me to either roll my eyes in disgust or call the world's attention to this difference. Lately, it had been the former more often than the latter

Bye Dibby, I heard Ivy say, and she hugged me. Dun worry about da visions, kay?

Huh? Oh, sure, I said, hugging her back. I waved as she followed after the moodily marching Zim, adjusting the floppy hat on her head that she wore for a disguise. No, I wouldn't worry about the visions.. I'd just keep an eye out for anything that looked dangerous. That was the only thing I could do, really, as a friend—

Why don't you ever go over to your idiotic friend Zim's house? Gaz snapped behind me. That way I wouldn't have to waste my time making you _suffer so much_

Actually, I thought as I turned to face Gaz with a gulp, maybe I really didn't have time to be thinking about _that at the moment_


	4. Bast Invader Bast

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 3  
Written by Invader Bast

-------- Bast --------  


I sighed for about the millionth time. "For the last time Red! You cannot fake your own death." I paused. "Though that would be pretty cool to see..."

"Hey!" Red shot me an angry glare as we walked down the sidewalk to the art store.

"Okay then... What do YOU have in mind?" I asked, looking down.

"I was actually planning on faking a seizure."

I paused in my walking. "That could actually work..."

Much to the displeasure of Dai, AF, Tabby, and Lynne, I found myself, for the second time, going out AND getting along with Red. I had to chuckle at the memory of the very first time we ever went somewhere. We actually went to the same art store, only Red got lost while I went my own way. I found him shortly after near the front desk, with a lolly pop. But for the second time around, we had a plan. We would find their stash of tootsie pops! An amazing plan indeed. A quote from Zim.

Ah, Zim. The most evil thing I had ever met. Well, next to EP anyway, but I won't get into that. Zim, though, can have his nice streaks once in a while, if he's in a good mood. We aren't that close, so I don't have any other opinion on him. But I guess he's okay to be around.

Red broke though my thoughts. "And we need to see if they have pixie sticks. As far as I can tell they bring pixies around! If they work...we need to get some nacho sauce too!" I threw him a sideways glance.

"And sprite?" I giggled.

"Does that get them to come too?" He asked, grinning.

I paused for a second. "... Yes," I finally managed to say to him, looking at the ground. He let out a whoop of joy, and I could only imagine the pictures of pixies flying though his head.

A few minutes later, after a conversation of skirts, boots, and nacho sauce, we finally made it to the art store. Red's okay and all, but he gets annoying as hell on a stick when all he talks about is a girl that he calls, "MS" or something. I just choose to ignore it. We walked in, Red going to a nearby aisle while I made my way to the front counter.

While I was there, though, I saw a black-ish purple-ish haired girl, buying a poet's notebook and a few pens. Must like to write, I thought to myself while I stood quietly near the counter. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, while she got her things and headed to the door. I noticed she that threw a quick glance over her shoulder at Red, who had occupied  
himself with a package of clay. I sighed, and gave him the signal to start his seizures.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"You should have seen your face!" Red laughed and pointed at me, while we walked up the steps to Zim's  
house. I twitched.

"Shut. Up. Now." I said, though clenched teeth, walking up to the door.

Red continued to laugh, as he waved his new found (actually stolen, but hey) tootsie pop. "After all that hard work, you DROPPED your lollypop!" He continued to laugh, even when I wolloped him upside the head.

"Okay, that's it. I'm sicing Dai on your ass." We walked into the house, but I couldn't help but think about that girl I saw at the store. I had the deja vu feeling when I saw her. And she DID have a pretty nasty glance. I shruged it off, and we both walked in, getting hugs, and cheers of joy, and everyone settled down to continue their game of Truth Or Dare.  



	5. Purple Narcotics, JusticeCave

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 3  
Written by Narcotics (JC)

-------- Purple --------  


I lay lazily on my side, my dull eyes resting on the TV with a light glaze from my lack of interest. The weather report would take a while to come on but I truly wasn't as fascinated in that as I had first professed. AF's head rested uncomfortably on my side, causing me to squirm for a more easy position on and off. She breathed in heavily and shifted, lost in her own world of thought. The truth or dare game had long since died with our lack of originality and just plain boredom. Our little group had split off to the separate corners of the house. Tabby and Lynne had disappeared into the kitchen to make the collection of us some cocoa and Aubri had mysteriously retreated downstairs as he often did. The rest of us stayed in the living room. JC had fallen asleep on the couch, almost seeming to sink down between the cushions while Jendai took his place worriedly pacing in front of the door. I had lain down on the floor to watch the forecast, well; so went my alibi. In honesty, I was waiting for Ivy and Red to get home. Sometimes it felt like I was always looking out for **two** children. Either way, I didn't like it when they left, especially Ivy to Dib's. It always made me nervous that this enemy to our race had taken so fondly onto my student. I half expect that at any moment he would kidnap her or turn her in or something. A shiver ran down my length as the thought of Ivy being experimented on, gripped me coldly.

AF propped her head up on her hand looking to me. "Are you ok?" She asked concernedly.

AF was very much so warm-hearted in every sense of the word. She was Faslami by nature which, in my experience, were not only of the warm-hearted but were equipped with flaming hot tempers as well. A contradictionso I understand. On any sense, it's good to have one on your side, especially this one. I broke a nervous smile to her. I always, regardless of the situation, had a slight problem talking to AF.

"I'm fine. Why would you think otherwise?" She shrugged and lay back down on my side. I let out a subtle groan as her head made its familiar, yet uncomfortable impression.

"You were justcolder. You know, you shivered." I stared at her for a moment and then let out a light chuckle. She gazed back at me, noticing how my eyes were set on her. "You sure you're all right..?" She quirked. I opened my mouth to respond but I didn't have the chance.

"No, I am _not_ all right! She's been out with that psycho pervert too long! I should've never let her leave with him. That's it! I'm going out after them!" Jendai piped up with the same threat he had been menacing for the past half hour. He pulled on a coat over his lone shirt, grumbling rather vivid descriptions about what he was going to do to said "psycho pervert".

"Dai," I sighed as I shifted onto my back, AF lifting her head to give me some leeway in my movement, "you have to give Bast a little more credit. I'm sure she can handle him. Besides, I'm sure that he's not going to do anything with you around."

He shook his head violently, grabbing the door knob. JC stirred slightly, turning away from the noise and seeming to fall deeper into the couch. "It's not Bast I don't trust. It's the slarking bastard R--" he began, before the door he was holding onto was slammed into his face.

"Red's home!" My co-ruler howled as he stepped a foot into the living room. Jendai rubbed his mid-face before ramming the door back into Red's. "GAH!" He yelped as he was knocked backwards.

"Welcome home, azermiok." He grumbled angrily, stepping out from the path of the door. Red rushed in after that, followed by a giggling Bast, a screaming GIR, Zim, and finally the one_ I _had been hoping for, Ivy.

"Who did that?!" Red growled, head darting around, snake-like, for the culprit. Dai had long forgotten his stunt and was by Bast's side as she excitedly explained the evening to him. I only caught glimpses about seizures and lollipops but I had more important things on my mind then Bast's gossip.

"Ivy-tam." I called over to her. AF got up off me to calm the still screaming robot who was now rolling on the ground as if on fire. She placed a hand painfully on the back of her head as she left. I cocked my head, watching her leave before shaking it off and calling to my child once more. "Ivy-tam?"

"Purry?" She questioned. I nodded to her and she raced over, wrapping her arms around my neck. I smiled widely, hugging her back. "Hi Purry!"

"Hello, Ivy-tam. Did you have a good time atat Dib's?" She frowned at my pause, but responded earnestly.

"It was fine. 'Ceptcept when I fainted. 'N'n I saw...some stuff." The last part was quieter then before. At this, Red dropped his search for his phantom attacker and decided to butt in on our conversation.

"That filthy human probably poisoned you. I'll kill hi--" He began with a menacing look in his eye.

"No! Why dun you 'n Purry like Dibby? He's not tryin' ta hurt me." She pouted giving me and Red a penetrating glare. I swallowed back my thoughts. For a four-year-old she could certainly make someone feel ashamed.

I glanced around, seeing Dai and Bast having perched themselves in a chair, Bast in my best friend's lap. AF herded Gir to the kitchen where Tabby and Lynne presumably were, to get him some sort of snack I had guessed. JC was still asleep as far as I could tell. Ivy's stern yet young voice snapped my attention back to her.

"I jus fainted." She shook her head, seeming to recall what had happened in her head. "ButI saw somebad things." I gathered her in my arms and held her close to me, sensing that she may need the comfort.

"Something has been bad about all of today." I glanced over to Red who was looking off glowering. His antenna were slightly tipped inward, as if he there was someone there to receive his fierce look.

"Yeah actually." Bast spoke up from her comfortable resting spot. "That girl back at the art store was so" She shuddered violently, and leaned back onto Jendai, resting her head beneath his. "She was justwrong there. You know?" Red nodded in agreement still keeping his scowl.

"Now that you mention it, Bast-human, I too felt thisness." I had almost forgotten about Zim entirely. He was so short it's not really hard to forget him. He had positioned himself far away from both the dozing JC and the comfortable couple that could barely be made out as two separate people. "There was something in the sky when I was on my way to_Dib's_." He stuck his tongue out in disgust at the mere mention of the human's name, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. I shook my head, still holding Ivy in my arms, her snuggling her head into my chest. I didn't feel this "off-ness" at all.

"Comets don't mean the end of the Earth, Zim." Red barked at his underling.

Zim winced back slightly. "I was only commenting on what I had seen, my Tallest." He dutifully responded, antenna back in submission.

"Well, we really don't care what you have to say, Zi--"

"Just lay off him."

"You have something to say about this, **Dai**?"

"I can take care of myself, I--" Zim began but Jendai's rage cut off his attempt.

"What did you call me?!"

"You heard me!" At this point anyone could see where this was headed and I hugged my student closer to me with a heavy hearted sigh. She let out a small whimper.

"Don't make me--"

"**Dai! Dai! Dai! Dai! Dai! D**--"

"-commonly known as Irkens--"

"I'm going to"

My antenna and Ivy's both whipped back towards the television. I'd missed my weather report but there was something much more interesting on now. The two of us were barely inches from the TV screen trying to watch the news over Bast's attempts to get between the fight and AF's yelling, she having rushed back in to help. I could hear the release of a safety on a flamethrower behind me as I attempted to quiet them and better heed the report.

"QUIET!" Ivy yelled out loudly, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room and forcing their mouths shut with her decibel level alone. We both turned back to the TV, the room now silent.

"remarkable discovery and under our very noses all along! It's truly amazing that this could've gone unnoticed for so long but there is finally proof that aliens do exist." Every green face in the room turned a sudden sickly gray at the mention.

"Already news channel 52 has sent their own group of anchor men and women to search out these beings in the burbsLets hope we can beat the FBI!" The man laughed with a wide, fake grin on his face. Everyone just stared, Lynne and Tabby entering; Aubri in tow.

"What was all the noise ab--" Tabby started before she was shushed by about six hisses. She silenced quickly, looking slightly hurt.

"Hey Tom, don't you think you just warned ET out there?" A frighteningly chipper woman asked cheerfully from her seat. The eyes in the room darted to one another, all of us looking for some form of leadership but no one opened their mouths.  
  
"Oh Helen, aliens don't watch the news." He turned his eyes back to the cameras with a sickeningly evil grin. "But if you_ are_ watchingyou better run! RUN! Cause we're gonna getcha." At this he burst out laughing. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.


	6. Tabby Itsihoka

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 4  
Written by Tabatha Warner

-------- Tabby --------

I was in the kitchen making hot cocoa with Lynne. Our truth or dare game had fizzled out, which was fine by me, as I was growing tired of the lame truths and "kiss such-and-such" dares that I always received. Lynne and I stood there, waiting for the milk to boil and singing Phantom of the Opera songs. We had just started "Masquerade" when the milk boiled, so we stopped singing, added the cocoa and poured it all into mugs.

We placed the mugs onto a tray and walk out of the kitchen to the living room. It had been quite noisy in there a few minutes ago, but the din had faded down to absolute silence. For some reason, this frightened me more than the shouts that had generated from the room before we emerged. 

"What was all the noise ab—?" I asked, and I was met with hissing shushes from all around the room. I glowered for a moment, wings drooped, then noticed the news broadcast.

"But if you _are_ watching, you better run! RUN! 'Cause we're gonna getcha!" stated a male newscaster, who soon began laughing as though that was the best joke in the century. I almost fell over when I heard this, and the sudden appearance of Fanir, my crow spirit-familiar, didn't help the problem much. The big black bird perched on my shoulder out of thin air, which seemed to be his favorite entrance.

"Something wicked this way comes," he croaked silently into my ear. He's a fan of old poetry and prose, as you can tell.

"Get out of here before Red thinks you're a delicious chicken again," I growled back at him. Fanir's feathers became ruffled at this, and he disappeared again. Red was always trying to eat my familiar. I shrugged, ruffled the feathers on my wings, and disappeared into the kitchen to think.

The government and the press chasing after the Irkens was a terrifying thought. They would be caught and autopsied, or worse. I had this horrid picture in my mind of Red on a metal table, getting sliced into pieces by government officials. I was worrying about the Irkens, as I loved them all dearly, except maybe Zim, when I was struck with another terrifying thought. What about us? We were with the Irkens constantly, and we weren't exactly the most normal group, either.

Lynne and Aubri can project, sending out their spirits and minds into alternate worlds and dimensions. I am a Phoenix Avitor, which explains the wings, and I could "flip" between worlds with my physical body, and I have the ability to shape shift into any form I can acquire. 

AF, Bast, and even JC were also in grave danger. AF is a Faslami, a descendant of old fire gods with the ability to control and communicate with flame. Bast is a were-cat, with the ability to shift into many different feline forms. And JC, although the true human of the group, would get tangled up in this entire horrible mess. Who knows what wicked tortures the government and the press would put her through to get her to talk.

I leaned against the doorjamb, watching the other's reactions. Jendai and Zim looked ill; he still had the sickening grayish flesh that frightened or worried Irkens got. Purple just stared at the screen in disbelief, and Ivy and Lynne looked about to pass out. Bast, AF, and JC stared wide-eyed at the screen, and Bast was holding Dai tightly. Aubri had his hand to his forehead, eyes shut, possibly sending out waves of calming energy, and Red cursed loudly in Irken. 

I watched all this, my face expressionless save a deep frown. These primitive humans were going to harm the ones I loved more than anything else. I would not stand for it, and I vowed to myself that I'd fight to my death. 

I was snapped from my thoughts when Aubri began to speak. "I don't mean to interrupt this silent moment, but I think we should do as the news man said and run." His voice brought about mass pandemonium.

"Foolish huuumans! They dare threaten ZIM?!" Zim shouted over everyone's worried ranting. "They have no power over the Irken Elite!" Oddly, his arrogant shouts calmed us, especially the Tallests.

I laughed coldly. "Oh, Zim, you have no idea what humans are capable of when they are in large groups." Zim just glared at me.

"Aubri's right," Purple took control of the situation. "We need to run."

"We'll need to pack stuff food and clothes and the like," AF piped up suddenly. She was with Purple, clutching him tightly.

Bast peered out the window. "No time. We have to get out of here as fast as possible."

"No time?!" Red shrieked. "No lasers? No music? NO NACHOS?!" He was positively flipping out. "AND THEY KNOW WHERE WE LIVE?!" This moment of relevance would had startled me, but I was too busy trying to get him to stop yanking at his antennae.

"Guys? We have to go. NOW. " I exclaimed.

"OK," Purple stated. "I'm going to go see if I can contact the Massive" Purple left the room. Everyone just stood there, silent, waiting for his return.

He came back a few minutes later. "I can't get reception."

"I think I saw something pink and brown on the satellite receiver" I remarked.

"That was my chocolate bubblegum Ice Sucky!" Squealed GIR. "I got a reeeally big one!!" I put my hand to my forehead.

"GIR!" Zim shouted. "YOU FOOL! How did you get Ice Sucky on the receiver?!" 

"I was sharin' it with the pigeon!" GIR replied.

I shook my head. "We'll have to get in contact later. For now, however, we have to go." 

"OK, let's head out."

----


	7. Jendai Aliet Faslami

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 6  
Written by Aliet Faslami

-------- Jendai --------  


Ever had one of those days where everything starts out wonderful—your cake doesn't burn, your truck runs fine first time you lift the hood, your fiancé is with you all day—and then suddenly the government announces its got too much on your real identity for your own good and is after your hide with things worse than super soakers?

That's how my day went.

I didn't say anything the entire time plans were made for escape. I just held onto Bast, like goons in black suits would break down the door any second and drag me away from her. This was just typical of my luck. I couldn't help wondering if maybe it was my bad fortune that brought this down on all the people I cared about. Dimly, I could hear Aubri planning aloud, but none of his words were registering. I felt almost detached from the scene before me, like I was watching our lives be torn apart on TV instead of actually being there. It's a strange sensation.

Lynne and Zim were barricading the door and windows, Zim with boards, Lynne with the chair. They were trying to buy us a bit more time to escape than we knew we had. Kas was breathing heavily into a paper bag, attempting to keep himself from hyperventilating too badly to be of any help. JC, AF and Tabby were listening to Aubri. All were planning ways for us to escape. Little 

Ivy clung to Kas; her small knuckles would have been white if she hadn't been wearing gloves. There were clicks as Red gathered what lazers he could carry, preparing for battle of any sort. He had no idea what we would be facing. No idea how awfully the odds were stacked against us.

I knew. Zim knew. Both of us had suffered at the hands of the government, nearly lost our lives even. Those awful memories of the sterile room the dark suits the gunfire the screams the painful glare of fluorescent lights off of cold, sharp metal tools meant to rip you open while you still lived in order to see how your squeedly-spooch worked.

Zim met my gaze from across the room. I hadn't even been aware I'd been looking at him. There was one pair of Soldier-red eyes I could trust. And those eyes stared back at me with a determined intensity only Zim could possibly be capable of at these times. Nothing could daunt him. Neither impossibility, nor the entire human government could assuage him from the 

deeply rooted thought that Irkens were superior, that no matter the odds, our race would triumph.

I got to my feet, my hands shaking on Bast's shoulders, forcing myself to face facts and survive. "Should we leave?" I asked, my voice strained.

"Not yet," Aubri murmured. He watched Zim nail boards in place over the windows for a second. "For the moment we're the same as everyone else on the block. They're all doing the same thing."

"My idea precisely, Aubri-stink," the resident Invader snapped, setting my nail gun aside to briefly glare at Aubri. When the look was returned, Zim hastily retrieved the tool and began nailing with a greater speed, his clawed fingers flying. Lynne was piling more chairs against the door. There was fear in her odd-colored eyes, an emotion I was unused to seeing in her. 

"Once we are done, the escape can be easily preformed. The barrier will keep the humans busy while we slip out of the voot hanger."

Kas pulled the paper bag from his mouth long enough to pick Ivy up. He seemed to turn more and more gray with each passing minute. The child in his arms whimpered. I bit my lip.

"We should pack while waiting then," AF said, ceasing her pacing. She didn't seem too afraid. "Only take cash, something to keep warm in, and maybe something you don't think you can live without like a weapon." Her hand twitched automatically on the handle of her smaller flamethrower. 

We all moved, save Zim. He still had his hands full with the nailing. "Get my fid-ill Lynne," he said, never turning his attention from his work. I didn't hear Lynne's response; I was already on the stairs, Bast leading me.

I felt blind, too shocked by the events to really be aware of my surroundings. We all had split off, heading to our respective rooms for what we needed. Those who didn't live here went with people who did to help in packing. I saw Lynne, out of the corner of my eye, duck into Zim's room and emerge shortly after with a fiddle case. She dashed upstairs and soon after she was out of sight, I heard furniture being moved once again.

The familiarity of my room was a great comfort. Everything was as I had left it. Plans and sketches cluttering my desk, photographs decorating the walls, blue and black décor, the unmade bed everything remaining unchanged by the devastation of a news report. 

I wanted to cry.

I admit it; I am an overly emotional Irken. The slightest thing is enough to alter my mood, either for the better or for the worse. This shock was too much. I sat down on my bed, staring blankly at the wall as Bast rushed around me, gathering any moneys she could find, any article of clothing that might keep either one of us warm. After a moment, she removed a picture from my wall, broke the glass with her shoe and removed the photo. Her hands shook now as she pulled it out. 

"Bast"

She looked at me sharply, folding the photo and quickly shoving it into a pocket of her pants. "Dai, get your box." I could tell she was fighting to keep her voice from breaking. I hoped it wasn't for my sake. "We need to get out of here" 

"Bast don't" I got up, moving towards her. She backed up, shaking her head. "Come on"

"No Dai. Not now. Get your box and let's get out of here."

I bit back the tears that threatened. All I wanted to do was hold her, to have this whole awful mess go away and leave us alone. Everything had been going fine. I had a good, new life ahead of me, a fiancé, a house to move into, friends, allies and all of it was going to be destroyed. I knew I wasn't the only one who felt like this. Bast's actions proved me right. 

My box was under my bed. It held every possession that was important to me. My box and Bast were all I needed to take. I could handle hunger, cold, fear, and even rain. But to be without the box, without Bast I would die again. Its smooth sides were actually comforting. One more thing that stayed the same, despite everything. I set it in my lap, staring down at it. 

Bast set her hands on my shoulders. "I have the rest of the stuff" Her voice caught in her throat. "We we need to leave, Dai."

"I know" I said. My eyes drifted around the room. It had been mine since the first time the government had threatened my life and the lives of people I trusted and loved. I knew every inch of this place, every corner where small bits of dust would collect before they could be cleaned up, every place where you could hide presents for your fiancé or your best friend's student. 

It hurt to know how many dirty human hands would search this place. It hurt so bad I got to my feet. One last look wouldn't hurt anything. Bast's hand slid into mine, her perfectly formed fingers entwining with my horribly mangled ones.

"We'll be able to come back someday once this all blows over we can come back here and we can laugh about how hard it was to leave." Even as I said that, I knew it could never happen. I knew how absolutely stupid it was of me to even think that would be possible. Bast didn't say a 

word, just tightened her grip on my hand. We took a long final look at the room. A lot had happened between us in that room. Both of us were loathe to abandon it, to leave it at the mercy of callous governmental drones. It was stupid. This was just a room but still

Our quiet moment was ended by Lynne and Zim sprinting down the stairs. Their noise attracted the others, fear in their eyes. One look in the two's faces was enough for us all. 

We were out of time. 

I was stunned at how calm we were. Even JC was moving though the lab quietly. Red was the only one who made any trouble at all. And even his trouble was merely loud cursing. It was obvious no one really knew what to do or what to expect. Tabby stayed close to Red, her head down, her eyes lost in some distant decision. Ivy clung to anything she could, anything that was safe, anyone that would protect her from the humans trying to kill her. From time to time, either Kas or Red would let their hand come to rest reassuringly on her head, their fingers absently brushing her antennae. AF, her arm around Kas's too-skinny waist, stared straight ahead, her face impassive. Zim was our fearless leader, Aubri and Lynne his "assistants" at his side. JC stayed near Bast and me at the rear of the procession. 

"There is a wooded lot not far from here," Zim was saying. "If we are able to make a smooth getaway, which we should, we should most likely head for it. Once there, we can figure out a better plan of action, and most likely move to a more densely wooded area for better cover."

"And if we get caught, Zim, you can just hijack another golf cart to create a diversion for our escape," I said, making a very weak attempt at humor. I was never very good at being funny. 

Zim glanced back, smirking at the memory. "If only it were as simple as that" I heard him murmur. The determination we were all used to seeing came back, and he marched on, his back as straight, his march as exaggerated as ever.

There was some conflict over who would be the first to ride the elevator to the voot hanger. Ivy was instantly elected to go first, followed shortly by Kas. Aubri volunteered to stay behind for the second wave and Red pushed ahead to be first. Zim had to accompany them, as he knew what buttons did what.

JC was shoved into the elevator as the doors shut. "RED GET YOUR HAND OFF MY A—" she shouted before the doors muffled all sound. 

Those left behind, including me, were anxious. Some of us hoping those we loved and cared for were safely hidden, the rest of us jumping at every noise our imaginations thought where government footsteps. Faintly, I could hear the frantic whirr of the computer's security systems as it tried in vain to keep the humans away with mere doors. Bast's ears twitched. She was 

probably the only other person who could hear the computer's efforts. All the other Irkens were out of here by now. I held my box closer to me.

"Please gods, don't let them be found" I heard AF mumble. "Please" Aubri scuffed his foot against the floor. "I think they'll be okay." 

I bit my lip. Of course I was worried about most of the people on that elevator. Kas was my best friend, Ivy his student who loved the world, Zim was my friend and off again, on again ally, and so was JC. Red could die. I didn't care if he was dissected while screaming in agony. I didn't care if 

they tortured too much information out of him. But Tabby did and so, for her sake, I hoped he lived. 

Lynne glanced around, her eyes huge, almost Irken in size. She backed against the elevator door slightly. Her eyes squeezed shut. "They have bad energy" she murmured as an explanation for her actions. "Very bad. Very, very, very bad"

"It'll be okay, Lynne," Tabby said calmly. She stared at the door we'd come through and heavily bolted behind us. Her gaze was cold. "It will be. No matter what. We'll fight and we'll win. And it'll be okay."

Sometimes I could understand why Tabby was attracted to Red. They both thought similarly about fights.

"Just because you fight doesn't mean you'll win," Lynne told her. The two locked eyes for a moment, a tiny battle of wills passing between them in seconds. "It could mean you'll die."

This was making me uncomfortable. Almost embarrassed, I fingered the too-shiny halo that was permanently stuck floating a few inches above my head. It was like a sign for everyone who looked at me that I was dead. 

The fact couldn't be clearer if I was missing my head and had the letters "RIP" painted on my back. The damned thing GLOWED for Irk's sake! "Look, guys, can we concentrate on surviving this government thing and debate about whether battle inevitably leads to death or not later?" I asked, stepping between them slightly.

Tabby almost glared at me. Startled, I backed towards Lynne. She sighed, moving a step closer to Aubri. I was standing all alone. Keeping my eyes down, I went back to Bast's side. She gave me a tight hug around my waist. 

The elevator came then, Zim with it. "Hurry now! They've nearly surrounded us!" he shouted, fear in his face. Lynne went in first, followed by AF, Bast—at my insistence—and Aubri. Tabby and I were last. I'm not sure how much time we had left in that room. The sounds of human voices were all around, echoing over metal walls. Zim's antennae were perked, twitching back 

and forth, telling me he was both afraid and determined to succeed. It was an odd combination.

I allowed myself to breathe once the elevator doors shut. It felt safer in here. Sealed off from the world, totally secure behind double reinforced doors with my fiancé. It was crowded. Lynne's elbow was digging into my lower back, an extremely painful experience, despite my death. That spot had never stopped being sore. Bast was pressed into my chest, though I didn't mind that. I couldn't see either Tabby, Aubri, AF or Zim from my position, but I assumed they were crammed in the same fashion the three of us were.

Slowly, the elevator began its ascent, as if straining with our collective weight, though I knew most of us didn't weigh much. I was convinced I could hear gunfire coming from somewhere. The very though there might be weapons out there that could kill my friends and Bast was enough to make me shudder. 

Bast was able to move enough to get her arms around me, holding me securely. A grasping arm came out of my backpod to take my box from me. I let it, watching dully as it disappeared into the implant.

When the elevator stopped, nobody moved. We were all too afraid to see what was behind that door. Zim spoke up. "Listen. Everyone else is out there waiting on you. If you don't leave we will all meet with the fate you all dread so. Now hurry."

Sometimes, Zim showed a streak of pure leadership that usually either Lynne or myself followed. Right now though, I wasn't sure if it was the situation or whether it was his streak showing that compelled us to listen to him. We stepped slowly off the elevator, all our senses on edge. AF nearly ran to Kas, throwing her arms around him. I could see her hands jerk as little nervous tremors ran through them. Tabby moved at a more sedate pace over to Red, who was preoccupied with both a lazer and little Ivy. The rest of us just fidgeted where we were.

"Are all of us here?" Zim asked, watching something out of the tiny hanger window. His face was pale in the small patch of streetlamp light coming through, his eyes large and dazzlingly reflective. "There are many of them"

There was a mumbled affirmation from somewhere in the room. A small ripple of relief went through us. That was until JC spoke up. I have never known JC to be the bearer of bad news, but tonight, she seemed to be.

"Hey where's GIR?"

I saw the sudden jerk of fear shoot through Zim. His eyes grew too large, his little body straightened, stiffening until it was as solid as the floor under my feet. Any Irken in the room could hear his pulse suddenly quicken 

to a muted thunder through his veins. Antennae slicking back, he turned to face us, his eyes focusing on Lynne. "I I need to go back for him!" he almost shouted, making a dash for the elevator doors.

"Zim! You can't!" Lynne grabbed him, kneeling down to hold his shoulders firmly in her hands. Numbly, Soldier-red eyes stared back at her odd-colored ones. "They'll find you and they'll kill you! GIR is a robot! He can't die! He'll be okay!"

He tried to pull away, to fight her strong grip, to get away and save the little robot. But Lynne refused to let go. "I won't leave GIR!" he literally hissed. "I won't leave him!"

"You have to! He'll be all right, Zim!"

I remembered how Zim had cared for GIR when I'd first met him. How he tolerated the defunct SIR's insanity for the sake of the only real companionship he'd ever known at the time. It wasn't right for him to be forced to leave GIR. Not right at all. "Lynne," I heard myself saying. "It's okay. I'll get GIR."

Utter silence is the worst sound in the world. It's so oppressive that it deafens you in a roar. It was too late for silence to change my mind though. I had already begun the trick of sliding into the plane that runs parallel to this one, my body fading slowly from sight. 

"Dai no!" Bast tried to grab me, her hands passing harmlessly through me. "Dai don't! Oh god! Dai!"

"Bast, I'll be okay." I allowed my hands to become just physical enough to hold hers. "They won't touch me. I won't be a minute." Slowly, they faded out to join the rest of me, making my entire exit a great deal more dramatic than I'd ever intended it to be. "I'll catch up to all of you! Get out of here and I'll find you!" 

I barely caught a glimpse of their faces before I was fully in the transportation plane. This place was strange. One could see everything happening in the other plane, only in thin, crystalline outlines. They moved at a fraction of their pace, and I at a drastically faster pace. This allowed me, and anyone else who used this plane, to just from place to place in a split second, providing you could phase through the walls and other solid objects.

Phasing through the floor was easy. I did it so much in everyday "life" that it just came second nature to me. I allowed myself to keep falling until I reached the living room floor. What I saw there was sickening. 

Even though I knew they couldn't move, couldn't see me, touch me, or even sense my presence, I remained crouched where I was, my antennae flat against my head. There were humans crawling over every inch of the room. Their thick, rounded fingers slimed across all the surfaces. The couch, Aubri's chair, the bookcase, my kitchen everything they could touch was touched. 

Everything they could shove in little containers was taken. I saw several of my best cooking utensils being carted off, as well as a half-finished picture, done in crayon. It was the picture Ivy had been drawing before she'd left for Dib's. 

That pissed me off. 

It was a child's drawing for Irk's sake! A simple sketch of happy things, such as trees and sunshine, made by a four-year-old female who was only waiting to go to her friend's house! What did these idiots think it was? 

Some sort of complex plan for world domination in a code that consisted of stick people with smiling faces? I clenched my fist, having a hard time concentrating. The crystal lines rippled around me, threatening to give me away to the enemy. 

I forced myself to concentrate on staying in this plane. I had to find GIR. Unlike Lynne, I had no idea how to focus my mind to find energy patterns that marked people I knew. Hell, I'd barely started to figure out how to control my physical and astral bodies.

GIR wasn't hard to find. He was in the process of weaving through some unfortunate's legs, a look of sheer joy on his face. Poor little bot probably thought this was all some huge game of 

tag. It wasn't hard to get between him and the human who would have been trying to grab him. Once there, I let myself go. 

Almost instantly, I was slammed back into a world of color, of sound, of chaos. There were loud, shocked curses all around me. I felt GIR run straight into my ribcage, his robotic vocals shrieking. He was happier than anyone in his situation would ever be. I curled around him, trying to protect him, as I felt human hands grip me. I will never get over the sheer revulsion of filthy human hands on me. I doubt any Irken will. My mind struggled through the urge to retch, doing everything possible to gather enough concentration to pull the both of us into the transport plane.

Something pricked my arm.

I jerked upright. A quick glance showed a syringe of clear fluid sticking out of my arm. Memory flashed, followed by an instinctual need to flee. For once, I would be thanking those slarking images of my past, rather than damning them as I usually did. I kicked one of them in the shins, crawling backward to buy myself both room and time to escape. Concentration came easily. We slipped into the safety of the other plane before the humans could react to us. 

Once silence surrounded me in its safe embrace, I was able to pull the syringe out from where it stuck. Hardly any of the fluid had gone in I hoped. Finding Zim would be hard. If only I knew where that damned lot was! 

GIR squirmed in my arms. I knew he could find his master if I told him to. He had a tracking chip in him. I'd put it in myself. I decided to get to Bast, then let GIR get to Zim on his own. It would probably be safer for the two of us anyway. 

Bast had never been hard to find. Her outline always glowed a brilliant blue in this place. I had no idea why that was, though I had a feeling that it was due to our feelings for each other. Slowly, I phased through the wall, looking around wildly for her glow. It was easily visible. She was up on a roof about a block away, hiding from sight. I couldn't tell if anyone was with her or not. Lynne had, in my experience, a soft green tone to her form. 

I couldn't see her anywhere, so I assumed Bast was either on her own, or with someone who had no glow. 

I ran through this plane, phasing through anything that got in my path. A few moments after I'd begun running, my concentration broke completely. The jolt of plane switching, combined with the fact I'd just smashed my face into a brick wall, knocked me to the ground. It was a long while before I could even tell where I was. GIR wiggled in my grip, snickering. I finally rolled over, feeling suddenly too groggy to move. I was in an alley, thank Irk, a stinking, damp alleyway across the street from where I should have been. My hold on GIR loosened. He squirmed away, rolling through a puddle. I didn't want to move. Damned human drugs. Whatever they'd stuck in me was fast-acting. 

"Big Master? Are you asleeeeeeepy?" GIR poked me. 

I looked at him with tired eyes. "Go find Zim 'kay GIR? Go find him and stay with him" My voice hurt. 

"Okay!" The little robot hugged my arm, smiling widely. "I'll find Master! YAAAAY!" With that, he disappeared around the corner, his little disguised feet squeaking on the pavement. GIR'd be okay. 

With a huge effort, I dragged myself to my feet, swaying. I fumbled for the disguise switch on my pod, pressed it, and staggered out into the streetlamp glow. My vision was blurry. I was in the middle of the street when someone stepped out of the shadows in front of me. I had to squint to make out the telltale ears and tail. 

Bast pulled me into the other alley, her hands cold. Once the shadows hid us, she sank down against one of the buildings, hiding her face in her knees. 

I dropped down beside her. "We're all alone, Dai," she whispered. 

"Everyone we.. we were shot at We scattered. I I don't know where anyone else is" I held her close, not really sure what I was supposed to do at this point. Bast was crying. She pulled the photo she'd taken from my room out of her pocket, unfolding it to show me. 

It was all of us. Zim, GIR, Red, Purple, Ivy, AF, Aubri, Lynne, Tabby, JC, her, and me. All together in front of the house by Lake Tahoe they'd made for Bast and me as a wedding present. Back when I'd had a possible future there. Back before any of this had happened. Back when I had every detail of my life planned, I knew what was going to happen to me I held her tighter. Our dreams could never happen now. We'd never get to have that house near the lake. We probably never be able to even have that wedding we both wanted. 

I leaned my head against hers, fighting off the effects of that drug. Whatever happened to us, I wouldn't let Bast face it by herself. We'd find everyone and we'd be okay. 

We'd be okay somehow.


	8. Lynne Maniacal Dragon

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 7  
Written by Lynne (Maniacal Dragon)

-------- Lynne --------

Humans were supposed to stay blind. If they _had_ to live, let them scurry about their pointless, narrow-minded existences, and stop trying to swarm at anything they didn't understand. Let them ignore it all. Let them release their filthy grip on this planet which still remained beautiful even under their assault.

We'd lost the Voot. Not even Zim knew, I guess, how thickly they'd had the base covered. I had no idea what some of the weapons they'd launched at us _were_, but they weren't something even an Irken Voot Cruiser could take, apparently. We'd taken off through the lot and into the woods, leaving the Voot where it had landed roughly tangled in the lower branches of the trees. I wanted to do something for them but there wasn't any time. We'd had to split up, and it was only through quick-thinking tricks of elusiveness on my part and Aubri's that we'd managed to avoid them at _all_.

Deep in the trees now, I paused a moment, leaning my forehead against an old oak, concentrating to try and get a handle on the energy lines that ran through everything get a sense of where they were, and where the patterns I associated with certain individuals were. That was important. Colors, feelings, vibrations, emotions, karmic links they all combined into complex auras that were pretty useful for picking someone out of the interweaved web of energy that criss-crossed existence.

They were all nearby. Relatively close to each other although Aubri was slightly harder to pinpoint; he was still employing that nice little trick of fading into the background and blending with the lines around him. AF and Purple they were a bit _farther_, I swear that Tallest had such a penchant for fleeing like a suicidal lemming or something. I shut my eyes tightly, looking farther. Red and Tabby weren't even in the woods I really hoped Red wasn't heading for a nightclub or something.

I pulled away from the tree and ran again, headed straight for the group.

I tried to keep my voice down, panting slightly.

THERE you are!! Zim said, pivoting around to grab ahold of my hand. He was up on his mechs, antennae swiveling back and forth urgently.

Be _quiet_, hissed Aubri, and JC made a sound that sort of resembled a squeak. A moment later we could hear _them_, crashing heedlessly through the bushes, breaking twigs, ripping leaves

We ran. At this speed I could hardly perceive anything except my breath aching in my lungs and my heart pounding in my ears. An uncomfortable throbbing spiked from my hand where Zim still held it in a death grip. I could keep up with him well enough, in the woods it was when we hit open ground that—

We stumbled out of the trees onto a backlot of someone's house. I vaguely sensed Aubri and JC right close to us, JC's breath coming as ragged as my own was.

You'd think a year in track would've done something for me—AAAH! JC didn't have time to finish her sentence before the group of us was hurried to plow on down the street, urged by Zim's hissed commands. He sure could be determined too bad there was only training, and not a whole lot of sense behind that determina—did he _really_ have to yank my arm that hard? My thoughts were spinning. Were we doomed? Would we escape? Did it matter? If it had just been me maybe not. But while the members of our group were relatively free from prosecution, humanity afforded no rights or respect to anything it considered _alien_. My friends were aliens. The one little Soldier I'd taken under my wing and come to care about so much was an alien. I had a responsibility to keep him safe that I wasn't going to let go of.

Zim skidded to a halt abruptly, nearly causing the entire string of us to crash into him. Where did they go?? he demanded, his voice hushed.

Aubri smirked knowingly but didn't offer a comment. Zim glared at him before looking back once more, his crimson eyes glowing in the faint light. I tried to shake off his grip on my hand, looking at Aubri thoughtfully. I didn't know what he'd done _either_, but I could hazard a better guess than Zim could.

JC trotted up, holding her sides and panting. more exercise she gasped. I didn't echo her thought, but I was sure enough panting nearly as hard as she was. I much preferred paying attention to my mind than my body which I hated anyway. It was human. It needed food. It needed sleep. It was ugly. And filthy. And I could go on forever but I didn't really have time to focus on that now.

Don't worry they're gone, Aubri said, meeting Zim's gaze.

How do you know, Aubri-stink!? the Irken snapped. He finally realized he was gripping my hand and let it drop.

I led them off, he said simply, shrugging. But we still shouldn't stay around here

said JC, half-doubling over before straightening back up, her hands on her sides. She managed to remain there for a moment before sinking down against the wall of the nearby building. anyone got anything to drink? she gasped. She looked much the worse for wear which was how I felt. Good thing she hadn't had anything to take with her she'd _wanted_ to bring the couch, I'm not sure why. I hadn't brought anything either heck the only thing I really cared about was wait.

I said, my gaze still on JC. Where's your fiddle?

Right here, Zim said with a sigh, and held the case up. It had been in his other hand. I breathed a sigh of relief. If there's one material thing I'm attached to, it's books well, or musical instruments. Especially that fiddle.

Tabby and Red weren't anywhere near us Aubri said. Neither was Bast. We got cut off from them.

What about GIR?? Zim demanded suddenly, a trace of worry crossing his face. Was GIR retrieved safely!? Was the Jendai??

I hope so I said absently, not giving free reign to the part of my mind that did not want GIR around. He was hardly beneficial to staying inconspicuous.

What about AF?? JC said.

She was they were oops I turned around, glancing down the dark streets. There was no trace of AF, _or_ Purple. He'd probably dragged her off, not so much like a suicidal lemming as much as like a gazelle on steroids. He got panicky like that.

I blinked Aubri was already heading off down the street at a fast clip. Zim started following him without a word, walking without aid of his mechs now. I gave JC a hand up from the wall and we tagged along after. At least, until Aubri sped up then started running and Zim did the same. I didn't try to keep the pace for long, instead sinking back to a walk several feet behind them. I glanced over my shoulder; JC was several feet behind _me_, and also walking.

Zim fell back to walk beside me, his steps quick, and rather lighter than they usually were. He was still poised to run not that I blamed him. His entire base and mission had just been overrun by the enemy' maybe he wouldn't get them back. Deep down, I hoped he _wouldn't_, despite all the terrible implications of the situation. You know what they say there is no great loss without some small gain.

Hey, you guys slowed down or I sped up HI! JC said, breaking a smile to the two of us. I returned it weakly, but Zim ignored her. Aubri stopped for about half a second up ahead, then broke into a run, like he'd suddenly heard something. I groaned inwardly, but picked up my fatigued feet and ran after him.

And there they go JC mused to Zim. Mr. and Mrs. _Lookit me run_ A moment later I heard the click of mechs, and Zim was beside me again, keeping pace, even pulling ahead. He was snickering.

And baby lookit me run too!! hollered JC.

Aubri didn't stop until he stopped very suddenly, right at the far edge of a street, beyond the houses. There was a very steep incline more or less in the direction we'd been running, and a lone hobo huddled up in newspapers. I stumbled up, panting for breath, and looked around for JC. I didn't see her she must still be walking.

Aubri said, looking at the hobo. Did you see a couple of people come by here

How did he know, I wondered, and then concentrated on getting my breath back.

One would be about yea high and has a skin condition?

said the hobo, swallowing, and pointed down the cliff face.

I really don't think Aubri said. A scream, from the distance, caught our attention. In another moment, Aubri was racing away towards it. Stifling a groan, I ran after him, followed closely by Zim. Streets whipped by, buildings, lights flashed in the corners of my vision, and it was getting harder to keep my line of sight trained on Aubri. I took to following him through the energy of his aura instead, and that was easier. I spanned my awareness out, trying to concentrate even as my pounding feet faded into a steady rhythm that I could no longer here. Something tangled among the energy lines ahead, something I was sure wasn't good—

I skidded to a halt next to Aubri and snapped my eyes open. The startled faces of a group of uniformed humans looked up suddenly, and a moment later at least a dozen guns were trained on us. The faint glow from the streelights flashed coldly off the gun barrels.

a harsh voice shouted. The humans suddenly straightened, and one swiveled his gun around to something beyond Aubri and I. he shouted. IT'S THE ALIEN!! A familiar, panicked scream cut the air. I reached out, but suddenly my perception was filled with interlocking, powerful shielding strands of energy. He was making a shield. What about _Zim_?? I glanced back at the humans. I could see them easily enough with my normal eyes; the shield was invisible, but in the state I was currently in, it swallowed my Other perception.

It's showtime, Aubri said, and I saw something in his hand. It was a blaster. Not a human-made gun, but an Irken one. Where the hell does he pick these things up!? I knew he was often rifling through Zim's base and equipment, not something I entirely agreed with, but at least he probably put it to better use than—a sudden explosion and outward spiraling of energy stunned me for half a second, I saw the humans' guns shatter, saw a few of them crumble to the ground, and then someone grabbed me roughly by the arm and dragged me away from the overwhelming influx of snapping energy and back down the dark streets, over the pavement, past the burning streetlights.

Only to be met with the rather confusing sight of a hobo rocking back and forth and clapping, and an over-eager JC hugging the life out of a gasping and breathless Zim. I stared.

He saved me!! JC was saying to Aubri. The hobo said they went down the cliff but then I looked and I didn't see them and Zim came running back here and ran into me and I almost fell but he pulled me back and saved me!!

crushed. ZIM!! Zim gasped, attempting to muster a glare but not doing a very good job. JC let him go and went over to Aubri. Hopefully they'd figure out what to do next in the meantime, I knelt down next to the distraught Invader and hovered a hand over his forehead. His aura looked a little tangled, but I willed it smooth, spreading it out.

He relaxed. Thank you.. he mumbled under his breath.

Guess I'll see where everyone's been so keen to travel to the hobo broke in, getting to his feet. He pulled the newspapers around himself determinedly and headed for the cliff. I stared. He stepped right off the edge and fell silently.

Aubri winced. Zim stared and threw a hand over his mouth. JC fidgeted nervously. And a moment later, a sickening splat sounded from far below. I pulled my perception away from the energy lines, not wanting to see what it looked like there. Zim scrambled to his feet and ran behind a bush, holding both hands over his mouth. For a Soldier, he sure had his weak spots now and then but that kept a spark of hope that he would get past the affliction of Soldier.

Aubri swallowed and raised a hand. All for chasing after AF again

Was that her screaming?? JC asked, wide-eyed. I mean, yeah! She raised her hand too. I lifted my hand briefly. Zim staggered out from the bush a moment later.

noises he moaned. I shook my head, then looked out past the houses, towards the street. A large black government van rolled slowly down the road, heading parallel to us.

I said. I think we better find a place to lay low.

Aubri said, and then he was off again. At least he wasn't _running_ this time I started to follow him, but the truck in the distance took a sudden turn down the street nearest to us.

Wait, Aubri, the truck, I hissed. He nodded and faded from sight. It was a handy trick, blending in that well with the energy around you he didn't _disappear_, he just wasn't noticeable. I wasn't very good at that trick and I wasn't going to test my luck. I crawled under a bush after Zim, and JC took refuge behind another. Aubri sidled behind a large tree as a glaring searchlight swept from the street across the houses. I shut my eyes against its glare, unconsciously trying to meld my own energy and Zim's with that of the bush we were in. I have no idea how well it worked, but the truck passed by without incident, and moment later we came out of hiding, looking at each other. Aubri had managed to remain calm, despite having conveniently mowed down a row of government men. JC was as calm as JC gets and Zim well, he was putting on a façade. I felt sorry for him. He was straight and stiff, as befitted a Soldier I supposed. And yet his eyes belied his nervousness and his antennae were flattened against his will.

_Now_ can we go after them? Aubri said.

You know where they are? JC asked, looking up from sifting through a stack of coupons that looked like they'd been lying in the alleyway for months.

Not really he said absently, looking off down the street. Where would they go, do you think? They'd want to be a bit away from everyone

This whole city is crawling with government people and alien-hunters, I said icily.

The DIB!! Zim said suddenly, in horror. This is HIS doing!! My thoughts stopped cold at that. It couldn't've been Dib. Months ago, probably, now, not likely. He'd learned. He must've.

They'd want to go where there'd be crowds Aubri said, ignoring Zim. Crowds are tough for those idiots to search through.

Where are there going to be crowds at _this_ hour? I said weakly.

Oooo, $5 off a one-time purch—oh.. oh that's expired mumbled JC, rapidly sorting her coupons.

I blinked, then shut my eyes, trying to center my own energy and reach outwards. I was practiced enough in doing this, but even so, under a stressful situation it took me a few minutes. I heard the click of mechs behind me as Zim shifted impatiently. I _felt_ his impatience as I looked out through my other senses, but I moved past him, moved past the rather disconcerting energy ripples caused by the searching humans, and spread outwards, recalling the feeling and aura of AF, and more vaguely in my memory, Purple's. I felt Aubri watching me and then imitating my trick, following my lead.

There she was wasn't she? The sheer noise of energy, heightened emotions, and _extreme_ buildup not at all focused, just tangled, intermixing

said Aubri.

That's not music, I protested, opening my eyes. And pointed wordlessly. In another moment, we were off again, heading deeper into the city. The closer we got, the more a particular emotional field screamed to me—recognizeable as Purple by the sheer panic factor. Yes, he was there, and he was not happy about it.

A building with flashing lights and long tinted windows through which a writhing mass of humans was barely visible loomed up in front of us. It was sandwiched between a couple of taller buildings, but not without alleyways criss-crossing between. I stopped walking, every sense I possessed balking at going inside. Shouts and crashing, pounding music wafted out, playing harder my urge to shrink away.

Blasted humans I heard Zim mutter behind me.

Aubri said absently, also staring up at the nightclub. But they hide people so well. He backed up a couple steps. I don't want to go in there..

Me either, I put in nervously.

Ooo! I'll go! I'll go! JC said.

Yeah, JC can go, I said quickly.

HER.. Zim said.

I'm the eldest! she cheered.

Zim is, I corrected.

You are not! I am! Zim huffed.

Just go in, JC, Aubri said with a sigh.

I have a purpose!! JC beamed, and danced in through the doors.

Well, she's happy I said, staring after her. She quickly disappeared into the raving crowd.

A few moments of silence followed, and Zim looked around, antennae twitching nervously as he muttered to himself. GIR should have located me by now—

PUT US DOWN OR I'LL BURN YOU ALL!!! a familiar shout, barely audible above the music and the crowd, caught our attention.

CROWD SURF ME NEXT!!! JC screamed from inside.

I think I hear AF.. Aubri said, staring at the tinted windows.

So do I, Zim said, grimacing as if it were a severe annoyance. The crowds, outlined through the tinted windows, swarmed, moved in two directions, cheered, screamed, alternately stampeded a single corner

She's out back, Aubri said, and ducked into the alleyway. Zim and I stared. A black truck pulled onto the street.

I looked at Zim; his eyes were wide and his antennae were flat. Without thinking, I snatched up him and his fiddle and ran after Aubri. My foot slipped on a dirtied piece of paper in the alleyway, and I nearly careened into the wall. Zim was shivering, too panicked to protest being bodily hauled about. I saw AF and Purple slam their way out a side door from the club. They were disheveled and panting. Purple's eyes flitted back and forth. They widened when they saw me, but a moment later, AF leapt onto the tall Student, throwing him violently to the ground behind a dumpster.

he yelped.

she hissed. I looked behind me; I was still in sight if the truck passed. There was no place to hide, the alleyway was bare Aubri had already hid, fading from detection. My grip on Zim tightened; his small form was stiff with fear and he clung tightly to his fiddle case. I felt a spread of energy around me, and I flung myself down against the wall, drawing the strands of energy around me and attempting to meld out of sight with them. Aubri was doing it. If I wanted us to survive, I would do it too. I shut my eyes, concentrating on staying unnoticed.

I heard the crunch of tires on gravel, felt the light boring into the dark alleyway. A moment later, it passed, rolling on out of sight. A long time passed in breathless fear. I slowly began to relax, as I let go the strain of keeping myself hidden like that. I just wasn't used to it. I uncurled stiffly from where I'd been hunched over Zim. He was shaking harder now. Gods, poor guy. His entire world had been torn apart, and I knew better than anyone else how afraid he really was, on the inside. How much he dreaded failure and intensely feared what would happen to him. His grip tightened on his fiddle case.

They're gone I heard AF murmuring. I heard a deep, ragged sigh from Purple, and I looked up. Aubri was back in sight again, leaning hard against the alley wall.

You okay, everyone? I heard JC's voice faintly, as if from far away, but I could see her right there, coming from the side of the building.

guess so.. I heard Aubri say. I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, and glanced around again. We were all back together—well at any rate I swallowed hard. Where had Jendai gone, and Bast what had happened to Ivy? To Tabby and Red? AF and Purple we'd found them JC and Aubri and Zim and I were all here Zim clinging to me and the fiddle in a terrified death grip.

I'm so glad to see you guys AF said, getting to her feet.

Where'd you guys all go? Purple said, as he climbed to his own somewhat painfully.

you ran like a bat out of hell JC said.

Aubri broke away from the wall suddenly and half-fell into the motion of hugging AF tightly.

she said, and hugged him back. she said in a confused tone of voice.

he replied, perfectly normally before collapsing.

JC and AF yelped simultaneously. Purple and I didn't have the presence of mind to do much but stare.

I hate late night runs Aubri mumbled into the ground. The two girls were at his side in an instant as he sat up wearily. AF hugged him, wide-eyed.

Are you okay?? JC asked.

Yes.. just never have me running from those things again..? He got to his feet carefully.

I'll burn them, Aubri-tam, AF said seriously as she and JC helped him up.

Okay.. now that we're all together I heard Pur break into the conversation. Now what? His expression was nervous and he kept fidgeting. His antennae were twitching like mad. I leaned back against the wall of the alley, vaguely surprised at how exhausted I was. Stress and constant running will do that to you, I guess despite that, I was surprisingly calmer than I had expected to be.

We need to get away from here I said absently.

far away Zim agreed, loosening his grip on me.

Why!? Are more men coming!? Purple practically yelped, his eyes going even wider.

More are always coming, Pur.. I said weakly. And they'll never stop until they find us. AF stepped over to Purple and hugged him tightly in reassurance.

Not up there Aubri said. He pointed upwards, vaguely. I followed his glance, staring p at the dark sky.

Home. We should go home, Zim said, his shaking calming down, being replaced by that tense, ever-ready demeanor.

Is it going to rain? JC asked.

Home!? RAIN!? Purple said, holding onto AF tightly.

Aubri said, his gaze never leaving the sky.

Zim's gaze was focused in the same direction, his antennae perked. Yes. Home he said absently.

Aubri blinked, looked away, then looked back at the group of us. Who brought those people after us? he said. A hundred government officials can't just turn up overnight to do alien searches.

This is the reign of Bush. They can do that now, AF said sourly, still holding onto Purple.

Too bad we can't pay a visit to Washington DC before we leave Aubri said, looking upwards again.

That one. Zim jostled my arm and pointed upwards. I jumped at the movement, then focused by gaze past his gloved claw. A yellowish-orange star shimmered in the distance.

We need to find some shelter right now though JC murmured, but I barely heard her. That orange star pulsated in my gaze, I felt the energy behind it, faintly, spread out almost to nothing over the sheer distance it seemed to grow larger, swelling to fill my vision, and I felt the sensation of falling. The alleyway was gone, only the night air whispered against me, the icy void of space I moved farther out, gathering my thoughts together and focusing my presence. It was very cold, but that didn't bother me, not here. My body was back there, down in the alleyway. I couldn't see it from here. But I felt so light, so free the falling sensation became one of flying, my mental presence spread outwards, focused on that orange star, and I spread my wings. They were there now they always were, when I wasn't locked into the human the cold numbed me, but I slowly felt my perception of my own presence fading into awareness. Only it wasn't the presence of my body. Not out here. A purely astral body was what I wore now, and it tended to this form I angled my wings forward, then unfurled them and launched outwards, my gaze on that star. I swept easily through space, moving outside of the physical realm of it. I felt a cold numbness bite at the edge of my mind, as well a sudden burning determination. My tail lashed, I tried to find something to grip with my insubstantial claws, but nothing was there.

My gaze snapped backwards. A spidery mesh of energy clung to my astral form, trailing back over a great distance, glowing faintly against the lines of energy all around it. It was stretched taught and thin. This was the line leading back to my body. I couldn't go any farther without stretching it to the breaking point. It was horribly tempting. I hated my body anyway. But to cut loose from it would be effectively causing my own premature death. In this numbed mindstate however, it was hard to care I was away, away from the demands and restrictions such a body imposed on me, away from the ties of my friends, away from the horrible, oppressive fools that swarmed after us

Something else spiraled suddenly along that link. Worry. Love. Fear. I felt energy from that nether source curling around me, trying to draw me back along the spidery lines. I felt a sudden rush of rage, destructive power that flew into my claw tips, and nearly started to rake at the link which bound me here. But the emotions, something I was free of here, kept pouring along the link. I recognized them. They weren't mine, but my concentration faltered, I allowed my thoughts to dwell too far on them, and a moment later, I was rushing back against that leash, plunging downwards into the dark trap once more. Everything went black.

I tried to move and I couldn't. Then, vaguely, I felt someone near me, and a moment later I opened my eyes. My perception of my own body was still faint, but as I struggled to focus on what was going around me, it swelled, filling in, and I was back again. I saw them around me. Purple was staring at me, AF was clinging tightly to him, her face hidden against his armor. Aubri backed up against the wall, sliding into a sitting position. JC was holding both hands over her mouth in an obvious attempt to mute herself, and Zim was latched onto me, his face buried in my coat. He was mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like don't go'.

I said, not thinking. I'm still here I hugged him loosely. He looked up wildly.

He forced a laugh and it caught in his throat. I was afraid you were.. eh.. asleep.

sleep.. bad idea now Aubri said. His eyes fluttered closed and he slumped over to the side.

AF ran over to him. Wake up!!

Awww Aubri, this is hardly a good time to sleep JC said.

Whaddya mean slee— Aubri looked up, stared at the group of us. He must be as exhausted as I am, was my first thought. The dark and dirty alleyway was no good place to stay. A searchlight aimed at the right angle I shivered.

We have to find a place that's _safe_, Purple said nervously, twining his long fingers together.

The library, AF said as she struggled to pull Aubri to his feet. It's locked and there's a window to the basement that's hidden

I said absently. A smile tried to appear on my face but didn't make it.

Good, I guess Aubri said.

Zim can get it open with his mechs, AF added. I got to my feet, swaying slightly. My limbs felt numb and I still felt like I wasn't quite there a bad aftereffect, I supposed, of leaving so far from my body. Zim got up, his mech-legs sliding out so he was more or less level with me.

Are you in need of help? he asked, though his attention was back on the street.

Not me, I'm I'm fine I said distantly.

JC, help Aubri stay awake, said AF. Purple? Are you okay?

The Tallest was gazing at Aubri blankly. He blinked suddenly, then looked at AF abruptly. the library will be perfect. Come on.

The six of us filed stealthily from the alleyway, keeping a wary eye around. The library was at the edge of this end of town, hopefully that area had already been searched. And hopefully, they wouldn't search it again. I knew, with a cold feeling in the middle of my stomach, that we'd have been found and caught already many times over if it hadn't been for the unexpected supernatural tricks' we employed. I wondered if it was laying heavy on Aubri at all, those piles of little white ash that used to be government guys he'd left.

Purple's antennae were up and swiveling; he jumped erratically at every little movement or sound as we crept along. AF, walking beside him, eyed him warily. Stop that, Pur, she grumbled.

I'll try, A— he jumped again.. He swallowed nervously, his gaze on her flamethrower, and rubbed his arms. But her attention was on the road now, watching for any motion or people.

My vision started to clear a little bit, and my steps grew a little more sure. Zim tagged next to me on his mechs, watching me. I gave him a look, his antennae went back a bit. You scared me, he muttered.

oh yeah. I had done something ridiculously stupid, hadn't I? Sorry about that I do things without thinking sometimes. Dumb things.

He nodded, his posture straightening again. be mindful.. of how we.. care.

This whole thing has you really spooked, huh I said, gazing down the street.

My.. my base has been.. Zim glared out at the empty street, his demeanor becoming more purposeful and Soldier-like. he said tightly, as if he were trying to make sure that was all he let loose.

There it is, AF said, pointing ahead. The library was a large building, a little aside from the rest of the buildings on the street. As it so happened, this meant that it actually had grass and a few bushes around it unlike the buildings in the deeper city. We stole over towards it, and AF headed straight for the back, dropping to her knees and fumbling the branches of a bush aside to reveal a small window right above the ground. Zim, open it.

Without a word Zim got down off of his mech legs, strode over to the window, crouched, and aimed the tips of them at the pane. A silent streak of blue heat lanced between the tips, and the window fell inwards neatly. We all tensed at the soft clatter that followed. No one dared to even speak a word even JC was being quiet. Aubri was probably too exhausted to say anything, as was I Purple too frightened, and AF and Zim just too determined. Alright, well by then I could hear Purple muttering some nonsense about raindrops

Lynne, you first, AF said. I blinked, then crawled over to the window, wondering if I would be able to fit through.

Hurry, Lyn! Zim said urgently, stealing closer to the wall of the building. Purple had moved out away from it, watching down the street.

Purple! Get back here! AF hissed, and I squirmed in through the window, before falling a short distance and landing at an angle, and none too quietly, on the floor. My hand hit the fallen window, and I gripped it, dragging it out of the way as I quickly scurried through the dark to the basement wall. Aubri crawled in after me. I heard sudden hisses and urgent whispers.

JC, GET THE F*** IN THERE! AF's shout was barely restrained, and a moment later JC thunked in through the window. I huddled against the cold stone wall, unable to move but I stretched, looked outward yes, sure enough there was another truck approaching. I heard scuffling. A shadow blocked the dim light coming in, and then Purple was shoved through. Zim slipped in right after him, and AF followed.

Somebody put the windowpane back! AF whispered, crawling away from the landing spot. I reached out, touched on the pane, got a splinter, and dragged it back over to the open window. Standing up and stretching as far as I could, I was just able to hold it back in place where it had been. Zim, hanging above with his mechs, quickly used them to weld it back in place. I dropped it with a shaky sigh and sunk back down against the wall. The stone was very cold. I shivered. Zim darted across the ceiling, mechs flashing, and returned to fasten some dark cloth over the window. And not a moment before the glare of a searchlight hit it from afar.

The basement was plunged into complete darkness. I heard the skittering of mechs, and then felt Zim next to me. I reached out to ascertain where he was and touched his arm. He was shaking.

he attempted to say something, but it didn't come out. I felt another sharp pang of sadness for him.

Are th-there any b-blankets in here? JC said, her teeth chattering. It _was_ really cold in here like a dead cold freeze that seeped in through the walls. It was probably just the fact that we were underground but that didn't help matters.

books Aubri said distantly.

There _should_ be.. this is a storage basement.. I heard AF, muffled somewhat. How the heck did she keep so calm? Most of the rest of us were a shaking wreck I _would_ be, except I was just too exhausted.

That doesn't stop there being books

A gloved hand touched mine, and a moment later something roughly oval-shaped was pushed into it. As my fingers closed around it, it lit up, bathing the immediate area in a soft glow. Indeed there _did_ seem to be books boxes upon boxes of them. Along with a _lot_ of other stuff I couldn't see in much detail, as the range of the glowing light Zim had given me was mediocre at best. I saw JC digging through some piles of junk, and AF collapsed against Purple with her eyes closed. The Tallest was holding onto her tightly, his antennae straight up in panic and his wide eyes glowing in the darkness. JC moved farther off into the piles of junk.

We're alive... Most of us, Zim said beside me.

Yeah.. we don't know where Jendai or Bast or Red or Tabby are

Or Ivy, Zim said, a tinge of guilt in his voice.

I Zim bit his lip, antennae back. I left her with the _Dib_ His eyes darted sideways to Purple nervously as he said this, but the Tallest didn't seem to notice. I felt a rush of relief. They _hadn't_ caught Ivy, then

He'll take care of her, I said with a sigh. No worries about that Zim's only answer was a distraught silence. _He_ didn't trust Dib, not at all I wondered why he left her with him in the first place. He probably hadn't had a choice.

JC returned carrying blankets. You want one Aubri? she proffered one to him.

Zim got to his feet, grabbed a blanket from JC's arms, and returned to spread it over me. His determination, I noticed, hadn't really flagged at all.

Purple was saying, finally noticing the Faslami girl dead limp in his arms. AF? Did you say something? She only mumbled. JC handed the two of them blankets. Purple wrapped a blanket around AF tenderly.

Hey are we going to be looking? Like, taking a watch or something? JC asked, looking around at the group of us.

I will take first watch! Zim spoke up.

You will, Zim?

Yes. I will.

I'll never get to sleep anyway Purple mumbled.

I can watch without looking.. I ventured.

Wow I've never seen a group of people so eager to watch out for each other, JC beamed. A couple of eyebrows were raised at her. Oh, oh we can do this in shifts, she said. Lynne can take first watch since she'll fall asleep anyway, then Zim or Pur or whoever wants to take the next watch can which one of you can stay up the longest? Or doesn't mind being woken up?

If my Tallest, wishes, he can take watch before I, Zim said.

Okay Pur can have second, Zim will have third, and I'll take last no sense in waking up Aubri or AF, they've done enough

And I, I thought to myself, did nothing except drain myself by doing something exceedingly pointless and stupid.

Me want watch mumbled AF.

you need sleep! Purple began worriedly adjusting the blanket around her again.

You sure AF? JC said.

Me want watch.. me go insane too much sleep AF drooped back onto Purple again.

okay we can make it a five-person shift, and you can watch last, it'll be like rising early in the morni—oh.. oh you're asleep again that was kind of a wasted speech.. JC sighed.

Speech at these times is wasted anyway Zim mumbled next to me, and curled up. He sounded dead tired. But the others seemed to agree with his statement I set down the little oval globe, and we were once more plunged into darkness. Several long moments passed, the silence disturbed only by faint rustlings of people shifting around in various rugs and blankets.

Anyone think we're going to survive this AF's finally voice broke, tinnily, through the darkness. She must've woken up again.

'Course we will I murmured, though I could barely stay sitting up.

I do not know Zim said next to me.

I hope so said Purple fearfully.

No doubt in my mind, said JC. All we have to do is be prepared!

We'll do alright.. I said. Another fear was edging at my mind we couldn't lose hope. If we lost hope, we _wouldn't_ survive this.

If only I had my base Zim almost whispered.

I said, keeping my voice low. The government has it now..

My Voot.. Zim's voice was small, choked, as if he were fighting to keep the emotion out of it. Their.. their filthy.. human HANDS all over it!!

Unnerved, I gave him a loose hug. He didn't seem to notice it. I could feel him shaking, and his voice bridged on hysteria. Touching it!! They'll destroy it!! He swallowed hard and made a concentrated effort to keep his voice low. gone the base GIR.. the.. the Voot everything I want to.. His voice trailed off shakily. There was more he wanted to say, more he was thinking more he was _feeling_ but he couldn't say it he never could. He'd get past those blocks someday maybe if we survived. If we even made it through this night. The silence and darkness that pervaded the basement seemed to speak worlds of what I was feeling. You never know how desolate things are how truly alone you are until you have to run from your own society, hide in your own home. We had to get off the planet. There was nowhere left for us to go


	9. Bast Invader Bast

Sword of Damocles: Chapter 8  
Written by Invader Bast

-------- Bast --------

Okay, so. There I was, in a dark, filthy alleyway, with my alien fiancé, who happened to be drugged up at that moment. What a way to spend a weekend, eh? I held Dai close to me, hoping that one of our friends would find us soon. But I couldn't move Dai at all. First of all, I don't know what those drugs did to him. But he was getting very cold from laying on the ground. Second, feds were probably swarming the city, looking for us at that very moment. So, I couldn't do anything. The only choice I had was to sit on my ass and hope for the best.

I hoped that my friends got out alright. I hoped they were all together and safe. But what good is hoping, anyway? Hoping for things doesn't make it happen. Hoping is just a reaction we all have. Hoping is for clouding our minds and making us believe that everything will be alright. Even when it's all down the shitter. I sighed, and pulled Dai closer. He was getting colder. I seized the tail of my coat and threw it over me and it landed with a quiet wisp onto Dai's arms. I rubbed up and down his shoulders, trying to get some warmth into him. Body heat and a flimsy coat won't be much help, but it was the best I could do.

Dai moaned. I murmured "It's gonna be alright..." over and over again, prying to every God I could think of not to make me a liar.

I could hear sirens in the distance. More feds must have been showing up at our house. I shivered, thinking about how close we still were to the house. We were so close... the feds and cops could walk right by us, and we're as good as the next lab experment. Images of tubes, wires and needles filled my head, and I shuddered. It was a horrible thought.

My ears perked (I hadn't thought to change into my human form at the time) when I hear two fimilar voices. One was male, deep and low, and easily carried. The other was somewhat high pitched. It was female. I was able to hear the words "Slarking", "Get out of here" and "Lasers" from the male. It was Red. The female voice that was yelling must have been Tabby.

Why hadn't they gone with the rest of the group?! I winced and held Dai closer to me when I heard voices that weren't Red or Tabby's. Feds, they must have been. My ears still perked, I eased Dai into a sitting position, leaning against the wall of a building. I took off my coat and draped it over him, before tip-toeing to the end of the allyway. I needed to hear what was going on.

A shudder ran though me as I heard the signs of a struggle. The goddamned feds where trying to take Red and Tabby, no doubt. With a quick glance over my shoulder at Dai, I left the allyway. I headed twards Zim's house, and by the time I got within sight of it, there was a stitch in my side. I hadn't run that far, but it still hurt. I could see cop cars, trucks and humans all running around inside the base. And Red and Tabby were being bound together and about to be thrown into a truck. I growled and ran to them. This was gonna be one hell of a night.


End file.
